There could be a hitch in the deal that would send Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat, and it's called Lamar Odom.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has learned there is an issue with Odom's contract that could affect the finalization of the trade to send Shaq to Miami for Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round pick.

Odom's contract calls for a 15 percent "trade kicker," which means in the case Odom were dealt to another team, he would be due an extra 15 percent on his contract. In this case, that amount would total between $8.5 million and $9.5 million, in addition to the approximate $55 million remaining on Odom's current contract.

Smith reports that the issue does not appear to be a deal-breaker but will require some additional attention to detail. Apparently, the Lakers were not aware of the clause in Odom's contract at the time that they agreed to the trade with Miami.

When reached by phone Tuesday night, the Lakers would not comment on the specifics of the issue.

O'Neal agreed to the trade last Saturday, but it cannot be completed until, at the earliest, Wednesday, when a two-week leaguewide moratorium on trades and free-agent signings expires.
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The fact that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak didn't bother to look at Odom's contract before finalizing the trade comes as a surprise to many, as his trade kicker is considered common knowledge by basketball fans and is very clearly stated on RealGM's trade checker.