Lamar Odom's last days on the court were hardly his best. After being traded from the Lakers to the Mavericks in 2011, his production drastically decreased, posting career lows in points, rebounds and blocks per game.

Odom recalled the days in Dallas in an interview with The Vertical's Shams Charania recently by saying the trade sent his career, and life, into a downward spiral.

That trade from the Lakers basically ended my career and purpose. I was never really myself ever again. Being in L.A., the structure, the people I knew, it hurt leaving. I had great memories with the Lakers, with Kobe and Pau. That was a special time in my life.

I got traded the season after we lost to Dallas in the playoffs, and I had won Sixth Man of the Year for the team. To trade me after winning Sixth Man of the Year … what else do I got to do? Why?

I think about it all the time, about how much I had left in the tank. I had issues going on. But barring injury, could I play in the NBA today? I could play. I should still be playing.

Odom was a key player for the Lakers. Not only did he help the Lakers win two titles in the height of the Kobe Bryant era, he also won sixth man of the year honors, and averaged double figures in scoring each season.

The trade left him emotionally damaged, and he wound up on a path of addiction and depression. Now, he's on the path to recovery and willing to share his story as he reportedly attempts to make a potential one-day comeback with the Lakers.