LA Times - Artest Deal Could Be Done Soon

[Sacramental]

Artest deal could be done soon
By Jason Reid, Times Staff Writer
December 27, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY — Under normal circumstances, trades rarely occur between teams in the same division.

Don't risk helping an opponent finish ahead of you, the thinking goes, but these are difficult times for the Clippers and Sacramento Kings.

The Clippers are last in the five-team Pacific Division and the Kings are fourth, only one game ahead of the Clippers.

The Kings apparently are having problems with swingman Ron Artest, and Corey Maggette is eager to play elsewhere because of his poor relationship with Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy.

An Artest-Maggette trade could be just what each team needs, and sources said the Clippers and Kings are motivated to move quickly.

The players have similar contracts, so there aren't salary-cap problems to complete a deal.

Artest is owed the remainder of his $7.5-million salary this season, is guaranteed $7.4 million next season and has a player option for $7.4 million in the 2008-09 season.

Maggette makes $7 million this season, $7 million next season and also has a player option for $7 million in 2008-09.

The Clippers hope to complete a trade before Friday's game against Sacramento at Staples Center, or in time for a six-game, 10-day Eastern trip that begins Monday.

Although General Manager Elgin Baylor is close with Maggette, Baylor wants to make a deal with Sacramento, sources said.

Baylor is resigned to trading Maggette because of the situation, and Artest is considered a better player than Maggette.

Maggette is among owner Donald T. Sterling's favorite players, and Andy Roeser, executive vice president, has been reluctant to trade the productive scorer in previous seasons.

Link here:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-cliprep27dec27,1,2214369.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Why would the Kings want Maggette? Just let him go so the spurs can get him :devil

[Bruno]

It's a quite stupid move for Kings. Artest evne with all his problems is way better than Maggette.
Kings' weakness is at PF/C : they really need a shotblocker.

[AZLouis]

It's a quite stupid move for Kings. Artest evne with all his problems is way better than Maggette.
Kings' weakness is at PF/C : they really need a shotblocker.


The fact that this guy still has work behooves me. He's hated everywhere he goes and his offcourt antics seem to completely distract his team.

[MrChug]

Why would the Kings want to get WORSE? :wtf

[Supergirl]

Certainly on paper this looks like a terrible deal for the Clips, because Artest is SO MUCH better than Magette.

But in reality, Artest couldn't even last a season with his new team, and Sacramento was about the best place he could possibly have landed - the city welcomed him, they needed his scoring and his D, and he had a true chance to start over. Now he goes to a team that needs his offense even less than the Pacers did and where it's going to be even harder for him to fit in.

All these players clamouring for a trade - when are they going to learn that if there's something wrong with your team, there's likely something wrong with YOU. The number of trades that actually improve the team as a whole is astonishing low. (Rasheed Wallace to Detroit in 2004 is the only recent example I can come up with)

[JamStone]

The fact that this guy still has work behooves me. He's hated everywhere he goes and his offcourt antics seem to completely distract his team.


It "behooves" you???

[MrChug]

It "behooves" you???

:lmao...I just caught that!!! :downspin:

[boutons_]

"that this guy still has work behooves me"

... to what? :lol

It's not even used correctly. :lol

[PM5K]

I dunno, I thought I read Artest wasn't touchable back when AI was being shopped.

I guess if the Spurs aren't involved I don't care much...

[ChumpDumper]

Is this done yet?

I'm getting behooved just waiting around.

[dg7md]

Why can't GM's realize what a cancer Artest is? What has he done to totally improve teams?

Whoever gets Artest will just trade him in less than two years.

[Bob Lanier]

It's a quite stupid move for Kings. Artest evne with all his problems is way better than Maggette.
Kings' weakness is at PF/C : they really need a shotblocker.
Exactly. It's behooving what this does for either team: the Clippers already have an adequate perimeter defender in Quinton Ross, and Artest isn't quite the explosive offensive option that Maggette is; the Kings still have precisely zero other players on the team who have ever heard the word defense before and about as much offensive talent as the Atlanta Hawks.

[baseline bum]

I hope the Clippers don't make that move. Artest is cancer. Yes, he's a hell of a player (he shut Manu down in the playoffs), but you know he's eventually going to explode. I think the only team he could be successful on for any extended period is the Lakers, because of Phil Jackson's ability to handle ridiculous egos.