Back at the February trade deadline the Sacramento Kings were looking for suitors for Mike Bibby, but once the season ended Ron Artest moved to the top of the block. Ultimately it will be one or the other. The Kings may seem to be in a desperate position but don’t look for any fire sales yet.
Both Artest and Bibby are starters; the Kings are not going to unceremoniously dump them without having replacements. At PG the Kings have no one to immediately step into an open starting position. At the small forward it could be an opportunity for Francisco Garcia but he hasn’t proved he can take on the starting responsibilities. On top of replacing Bibby and/or Artest the Kings have other glaring needs as well, most prominently the need for a big.
It’s still early and rumors have been flying but, as usual, Geoff Petrie has been quiet. Of all his summer tasks this may provide the greatest challenge. Bibby may appear to be an easier trade but his salary (at $13.5M next season) makes it more complicated. At $7.8M Artest’s salary is more flexible; it’s Artest that is complicated.
Artest may be troubled and carry more baggage than a cargo plane but he’s still a talented player and there are teams out there that can and will overlook the potential of a meltdown. With only one year left on his contract followed by an option there should be a team willing to chance it. Artest is usually productive in year one, his problems were limited, almost a honeymoon with Chicago, Indiana and Sacramento in his first year. At $7.8M dealing Artest should actually be easier than dealing Bibby.
But not that easy. It’s unlikely the Kings will find a team willing and/or able to do a straight-up swap, example Orlando giving up Hedo Turkoglu for Artest, even if the salaries match.
However there are teams that are in need of defensive minded small forwards. Toronto, Milwaukee, Charlotte (depending on what Wallace does), Miami, Portland, Seattle (depending on the ultimate fate of Lewis), the Los Angeles Lakers, and possibly Minnesota all have needs. Indiana does as well, but that won’t happen.
Of those teams, a strong willed coach (and PR department) would be a requirement for handling Artest. Not many coaches out there that would be willing to take that on. Krystkowiak?, Wittman? Would Phil Jackson even be interested at this point? For a team on the edge an addition like Artest can be a make or break deal.
Of teams that do have a need there have been a handful that have expressed an interest, either in the past or just recently. NY, Miami, LA; Artest may be better suited for a large market team.
Could the Kings get their needs addressed with any of these teams? They may be initially motivated to move Artest due to his off court and locker room issues of last year and the threat that his antics will progressively become more distracting and flow over to the court; however they need to receive something more than just anxiety relief in return for Artest.
Milwaukee: With Ruben Patterson a free agent the Bucks will need a SF however they don’t have any tradable players unless they do a sign and trade with Patterson, one potential problem for another may not work for either team.
Miami: With James Posey a free agent the Heat will be in need of a SF, they have expressed a need for a PG as well. Problem with the Heat, they don’t have much to offer the Kings for either. There is Jason Williams with an expiring contract, or a PF in Udonis Haslem. It may not be simple but with Bibby, Artest, Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, there will be some discussion between these teams.
Portland: Although Portland could use a SF, the thought of Artest and Randolph in the same locker room may not be what Portland is aspiring too. The highly likely addition of Greg Oden to the roster along with youngsters Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge looks to be promising enough for Portland this coming season.
Seattle: With Rashard Lewis a free agent the Sonics will have a hole to fill, although with the number 2 pick in the draft they have multiple options. The Sonics don’t have any significant expiring contracts but they do have Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson.
Los Angeles Clippers: The noise during the season was Corey Maggette for Ron Artest, a trade at the time that looked like a win-win for both teams. Then Coach Dunleavy decided/was forced to let Corey Maggette start and Corey Maggette’s value may have increased too much for such a deal to work now. However Corey Maggette is still an offense oriented player while Artest preaches his love for defense, and Dunleavy prefers the church of defense making the probability for conflict between himself and Corey Maggette highly likely to recur next season. One year with Artest in the line up together with his buddy Elton Brand could put the Los Angeles Clippers back in the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers: If Petrie’s arm is twisted he may do a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers but only as a last resort. With Luke Walton a free agent the Los Angeles Lakers need a SF, but the Los Angeles Lakers also need an appointment with Dr. Phil to resolve all their other problems. Would adding Artest to the mix make things (i.e. Kobe) better? That result is questionable. The Los Angeles Lakers have an expiring contract in Kwame Brown so it is a possibility.
Houston - There was some chatter about Artest for Battier, a reunion with Rick Adelman and Bonzi Wells. Although Artest would bring more offense than Battier, it was Battier that was the glue for the Rockets this season. Houston needs an offensive kick to get them out of the first round but Artest doesn’t look like the answer for them.
Anything is possible (within the constraints of the salary cap of course), but with what the Kings need, any move will most likely involve multiple teams.
And however complex an Artest trade may be, trading Bibby could be an even bigger challenge. More to come….
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