Sports

Artest in, Ariza out for Lakers

By Jeff Eisenberg
The Press-Enterprise
Published: July 4, 2009

HOUSTON — Ron Artest was a courtside fixture at Staples Center during last month's Los Angeles Lakers championship run, posing for pictures with fans, chatting with team brass and cheering on friends Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom.

The next time he's there, he won't need a ticket to get in.

In a swap of two of the most coveted free agent forwards on the market, Artest agreed to terms with the Lakers on Thursday evening and Trevor Ariza reached an agreement with the Houston Rockets soon afterward. Artest's contract is at minimum three years for $18 million, though agent David Bauman said the Lakers granted his client the right to make it five years and $34 million before he officially signs on July 8.

"I am very excited to finally be going to LA," Artest said in a statement issued by his agent. "For years now, the Lakers have expressed interest in having me play for them, but we could never get the stars to align. I'm finally a Laker and I can't wait to get on the court with Kobe, Pau (Gasol) and the rest of the team, and play for Phil (Jackson). The Lakers really made me feel wanted."

While Artest initially suggested his first choice would be to return to the Rockets, Bauman said interest from both sides faded once the severity of Yao Ming's injury made it clear Houston would be in a rebuilding mode. Instead the enigmatic 29-year-old forward accepted a pay cut of nearly $2 million next season to join the Lakers, spurning similar offers from fellow contenders Orlando and Cleveland.

What made Artest's decision easy was the effort the Lakers made courting him the past two days. Bryant texted him repeatedly, Phil Jackson and Magic Johnson had lengthy phone conversations with him on Wednesday, and owner Jerry Buss took him to lunch Thursday.

By around 4 in the afternoon, Artest was text-messaging reporters celebrating his new move.

"Ron's overjoyed," Bauman said. "The Lakers made it clear early on that Ron was their priority. Once he realized their interest and how serious it was, he got on board really, really quickly."

The recruitment of Artest was in stark contrast to their pursuit of Ariza, who met with Rockets officials in Las Vegas on Thursday after the Lakers failed to make him a formal contract offer the previous day. The Lakers initially said Ariza was their primary free agent target at small forward, but their attention turned to Artest once contract talks quickly reached an acrimonious impasse.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak balked at giving Ariza anything more than a deal starting at $5.6 million per season, salary parameters that agent David Lee interpreted as a sign the team wasn't as interested in keeping his client as it first claimed. Ariza's contract with Houston is five years for about $34 million, according to his agent.

"It was never about the money, it was always about being appreciated," said Lee who indicated that Ariza had an offer for $8 million more from Toronto.

A favorable side effect of bringing Artest aboard is that it can only help sway fellow free agent forward Odom to re-sign. Not only have the two New Yorkers been friends since childhood, but Artest's contract also isn't so unwieldy that it would hamper the Lakers' ability to make Odom a competitive offer.

It's no secret the Lakers have had a longstanding interest in acquiring Artest despite a troubled past dotted with suspensions, legal trouble and a starring role in perhaps the most infamous brawl in basketball history. The Lakers inquired about trading for him as recently as last summer, confident that the savvy leadership of Jackson coupled with Artest's respect for Bryant would keep the fiery forward in line.

What the Lakers lose in upside by jettisoning 24-year-old Ariza in favor of Artest, they more than make up for in the short term. A former all-star and defensive player of the year in 2004, Artest averaged 17.1 points last season, shot 40 percent from behind the arc and remained among the NBA's most physical and formidable perimeter defenders.

In addition to agreeing to terms with Artest and continuing talks with Odom, the Lakers also made further contact with Shannon Brown.

Agent Mark Bartelstein said a number of other teams also are interested in the backup guard, but nothing was imminent as of Thursday afternoon.

"He's getting a lot of interest," Bartelstein said. "People got a chance to see what he can do."