NBA - Sports Rumors

Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:59 am EDT

Lakers interested in Artest, but have no cap space

By Joe Zedalis

Ron Artest

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Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest did not opt out of his contract, choosing to stay with the Kings for one more season at $7.4 million. Artest, 28, visited the Lakers' locker room during the NBA Finals and spoke glowingly of Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom in recent weeks, but it looks like the only way he becomes a member of the Lakers next season would be by trade, a near impossibility because of a rivalry between the teams that extends beyond being Pacific Division foes.

The Lakers are intrigued by the defensive presence offered by Artest, who also averaged a career-high 20.5 points a game last season. They might take a longer look at him if he becomes a free agent next season. Then again, the Lakers are still expected to be well over the salary cap in a year, assuming they give Andrew Bynum a five-year extension before next season begins.

In fact, they will probably pay luxury taxes for years to come. Pau Gasol is under contract for three more years and $49.4 million. Bynum could receive a total of $80 million in his extension. In a year, Bryant has the option of ripping up the final two years of his contract and signing a new five-year deal for a presumably lucrative sum. In other words, the Lakers, who will pay almost $5 million in luxury taxes for last season's payroll, won't be making any big free-agent signings other than their own players.

Source: Los Angeles TimesNew Window

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101 Comments

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  1. hcdouglass
    1. Posted by hcdouglass Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:17 pm EDT

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    Artest wouldn't put up with Kobe. The first time Kobe yelled at him would be the last.
  2. Claude M
    2. Posted by Claude M Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:58 pm EDT

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    LAKER BALL BABY! FIRST FOR THE LAKERS! We don't need this guy. He will mess up the chemestry that we already have...LAKER BALL BABY!
  3. Chris
    3. Posted by Chris Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:02 pm EDT

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    if you think artest wouldnt put up with kobe, youre retarded. theyve been good friends for a long time now.
  4. jd
    4. Posted by jd Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:32 pm EDT

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    They could make it happen if they can trade Luke Walton and his $4,420,000 salary, Chris Mihm
    and his $2,500,000 salary, and Trevor Ariza and his $2,911,600 salary for Ron Artest and his $8,450,000 salary the money works. If they can get Odom to restructure his $14,559,000 contract and sign a new 3 or 4 year deal with a nice signing bonus they could free up even more money for the future
  5. Andrew D
    5. Posted by Andrew D Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    Artest would be a great asset to the Lakers. Kobe would respect him because Artest works hard and they're good friends anyway. The Lakers need someone like this. Artest is tough and wouldn't be intimidated by anyone, especially no kendrick perkins or kevin garnett. He'll be a defensive force.
  6. Rob
    6. Posted by Rob Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:44 pm EDT

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    There's no way that Geoff Petrie would ever trade Artest to the Lakers. Forget it. Besides, LA has nothing to offer in return.
  7. Luis G
    7. Posted by Luis G Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:00 pm EDT

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    hey you want big names you pay the price . Lakers are broke! GO WARRIORS!!!
  8. JC
    8. Posted by JC Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    llx
  9. Edwin
    9. Posted by Edwin Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:51 pm EDT

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    The Lakers don't want it to work, period! If Kobe wanted it, he should be the one to restructure his contract not Odom. The Lakers only need to dump the dead weight and they can make it work. Keep a core 5 and dump the rest, a trade a buy out, etc.... By carrying this dead weight the Lakers will have the same problem next year. Mihm, hasn't played a 1/2 season in his career. Walton, 4 years and hasn't panned out. Trevor Ariza, needs to go. Potential as a defender but his stats show nothing else. Kobe Karl? I won't even continue to list. The majority of these players are retreads that the Lakers signed after injuries. These kind of players will always be available. These are the players that no one else wanted. One side of the ball type players are a dime a dozen.
  10. C-TOWNMAC
    10. Posted by C-TOWNMAC Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

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    why not. they can spend whatever like the yankees. oh yeah, kobe is still an aldulterer. you do need permission to go to the duece hole you elitous piece of duece. he could have twice as many points and twice as many rings as mj and will never be better. even you laker fans know that. go browns.
  11. A Yahoo! User
    11. Posted by A Yahoo! User Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:23 am EDT

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    Oh so cruel, fate! I hate the fact that so many fans think with bynum back the problems will be over i took a long hard look at the team after the finals defeat. The Lakers seriously need a defensive powerhouse, lamar is a joke compared to ron i say they need to do whatever it takes to get artest even if it means giving up artest and some other players. For christ sakes give up walton, radmonovich, there are so many freaking scrubs and yet the lakers don't do anything to get rid of them. If the lakers don't get a ron artest, or shawn marion type of player i just see the lakers repeating what they did this year losing again in the finals.
  12. A Yahoo! User
    12. Posted by A Yahoo! User Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:27 am EDT

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    oops i meant.. giving up odom, and i totaly agree with post 14 but it's unlikely that both gasol and bynum will both go down AGAIN! lol.
  13. Doc LikMLo
    13. Posted by Doc LikMLo Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:46 pm EDT

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    14 hit it RIGHT ON THE NOSE! I agree 100%. Sac has to rebiuld, anyway, and I don't think Artest is going to want to stay there too much longer. He wants to win just as much as Kobe does, so I am positive he would wanna be on a contending team. Waiting on Sac would be like waiting for Shaq to drop a platinum selling CD. Oh, and the Lakers are NOT broke. They are limited by cap space. There is a BIG, BIG difference. If it wasn't for the cap space rule, we could outbid anyone.
  14. c-money
    14. Posted by c-money Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:45 pm EDT

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    send Lamar Odom away and coach k's kid and luke too then the lakers mite get Ron Artest but all of you need to look at other team that could get Artest with a trade and have money to pay him more then the lakers ever could if they got him so all you just shut up and watch what happens
  15. heat4ever
    15. Posted by heat4ever Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:56 pm EDT

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    they don't need more firepower....let them work with what they have...its already more than a lot of teams have......they just need to get it right!!!
  16. bigvincent007
    16. Posted by bigvincent007 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    hcdouglass,
    Kobe only yells at sorry player like Fluke Walton, not at good player like Artest.
  17. jeezee10
    17. Posted by jeezee10 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    ron arTest is Trouble with a capital T. Well, with the Lakers an on-going soap opera, another villain in the picture would thicken the plot.
  18. flobert
    18. Posted by flobert Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:08 pm EDT

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    get rid of walton, mihm,odom, karl and make room for artest. that would make sense to alot of lakers fans
  19. avg323
    19. Posted by avg323 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:46 pm EDT

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    i'm no laker fan and artest fan..just thinking w/o any bias.. artest aint goin to L.A. by trade w/o artest "wanting to go to L.A".. if artest is to decide whre he wants to be nex season, then there's a chance he'll be a lekr.. Otherwise, there's no chance that Sacto's gonna give artest to the lakers(a competition in the pacific division) unless you give up bynum/ or odom+any Laker(fisher/ walton/ turiaf/ radmo..etc).. it just wont make any sense if you're a king fan let alone a maloof.. it's like shooting yourself on the foot.. or shall I say say suicide
  20. Claude M
    20. Posted by Claude M Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:58 pm EDT

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    The problem with some of these bandwagon Laker fans is that they don't know basketball. 1) We traded 2 players for Artest for a reason: he is worth it. He is a defender and a post scorer that is versitile.
    2) Odom is versitile and a rebounder and when our full starting line-up is in place he won't be counted on to score. Yeah, he is getting a lot of money but the Lakers wouldn't be the same without him
    3) Do you guys even remember the beginging of last season? The Lakers started with just about the same players as the previous season and suprised everyone. Trading away players that are improving is stupid, especially when they are learning a system like the triangle.
    4) Colby Karl is a shooter and could crack the line-up if we loose Vujacic.
    5) Don't get me wrong, I am all for improving, but dumping all but five players is too big of a change to make to a team that went to the big show. The Lakers really only need a good outside shooter that plays defense. Artest plays defense, but is not that great of a three point shooter; He is more like a James Posey. I personally like the team we have now, and look forward to their improvement:
    Starters:
    2 Fisher, Derek PG 6-1 205 8/9/74 12 Arkansas-Little Rock
    24 Bryant, Kobe SG 6-6 220 8/23/78 12 None
    7 Odom, Lamar F 6-10 230 11/6/79 9 Rhode Island 16 Gasol, Pau FC 7-0 260 7/6/80 7 None
    17 Bynum, Andrew C 7-0 275 10/27/87 3 None
    Bench:
    5 Farmar, Jordan G 6-2 180 11/30/86 2 UCLA
    18 Vujacic, Sasha G 6-7 195 3/8/84 4 None
    10 Radmanovic, Vladimir PF 6-10 234 11/19/80 7 None
    21 Turiaf, Ronny FC 6-10 249 1/13/83 3 Gonzaga
    3 Ariza, Trevor SF 6-8 210 6/30/85 4 UCLA
    4 Walton, Luke SF 6-8 232 3/28/80 5 Arizona
    14 Newble, Ira GF 6-7 220 1/20/75 8 Miami (OH)
    28 Mbenga, DJ C 7-0 255 12/30/80 4 None
    31 Mihm, Chris FC 7-0 265 7/16/79 8 Texas
    11 Karl, Coby G 6-5 204 3/6/83 1 Boise State Crawford, Joe F 6-5 207 6/17/86 R Kentucky
    Crawford and maybe Karl will end up in the NBDL. LAKER BALL BABY!
  21. stars_chic2001
    21. Posted by stars_chic2001 Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:39 pm EDT

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    I say, Sac. keep artest. Go kings!
  22. lions, vikings, and bears suck
    22. Posted by lions, vikings, and bears suck Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:44 pm EDT

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    great now laker fans can just shut up already and accept the team they have including odom
  23. avg323
    23. Posted by avg323 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:46 pm EDT

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    big shot/sheap shot bob?
  24. Hooch
    24. Posted by Hooch Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:10 pm EDT

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    The Lakers can't afford Artest. Remember Ron has a split personality. The "Good Ron" is a tough
    defender and can put the ball back. The "Bad Ron" is self centered and a cancer to a team, he
    has acrewed up chemestry on every team, he has been on. The Lakers could use the
    "Good Ron" but you don't get just the "Good Ron"!!
  25. thomas s
    25. Posted by thomas s Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    trade Gasol and Walton 4 Artest

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