There are the lottery implications beginning Tuesday. And the wedding memories. And the former backup plan in Los Angeles that could become a priority. And the specter of the big move as more like a commute.
But mostly, there is the uncertainty and the never-ending question: What will the Kings do with Ron Artest? Captivated by his moments of stardom, frustrated by his bouts of undependability, the Kings' latest decision time arrives with the usual ambivalence and the new circumstance: that Artest can declare himself a free agent by June 30. For the first time, he has a loud vote in how this turns out.
Artest being Artest, he spent the season's second half offering mixed messages about whether he would exercise the contract option and, if so, whether it would be with the intent of getting a new long-term deal with the Kings or leaving. There's $7.4 million on the table for 2008-09 and about 74 million contradictory signals.
The possibilities of what happens next are just as diverse. Artest cannot be dealt until he either turns down the option – which might not happen in time to include him in any June 26 draft-day maneuvering – or he becomes an unrestricted free agent and a candidate for a sign-and-trade. He also could leave for nothing at that point if the Kings don't work a swap with his preferred new team, an outcome that would cost Artest millions.
The benefit for the Kings then would be clearing his contract from the books, not to mention the incalculable return of ending the emotional yoga of life with Artest. The internal considerations are the same reason many teams won't trade for him now and certainly wouldn't commit to him with a long-term deal as a free agent.
But some parties will be interested if he does not opt out, probably even more now than at the February trade deadline as the Kings listened hard to offers. In that scenario, in which Artest keeps the $7.4 million for 2008-09 and becomes a free agent next summer, he would have the added attraction/reduced risk of an expiring contract. The new team would inherit cap flexibility and the comfort of knowing they're stuck with each for just one season if the relationship doesn't work.
In a league finally acknowledging that speedball is fun but defense wins – Steve Kerr taking the Phoenix Suns in a new direction, the Denver Nuggets flaming out again, the Warriors missing the playoffs – Artest's obvious talents will draw interest. How much exactly depends partly on what happens Tuesday in the lottery and what moves might follow as a result, but there are reasonable landing spots either way if the Kings try to deal, with some more realistic than others.
A look at other NBA teams that would be interested in Artest's services:
Lakers
They already had Artest listed as a trade possibility. He was part of Plan B with Ben Wallace and a few unknown others if the Pau Gasol trade had fallen through in February, so it's a straight line back to Artest in the offseason.
Plus – a critical, meaningful plus – Kobe Bryant loves the thought of playing alongside Artest, understandably imagining the pair suffocating opposing wings nightly after Bryant was named first-team All-Defense at guard in a poll of coaches and Artest got the sixth-most votes at forward. And with Bryant and coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers already have two strong personalities, with Bryant in particular feeling he has the presence and relationship to keep Artest mostly in line.
Artest as a free agent would have to take a pay cut to the projected midlevel exception of approximately $5.6 million. The forfeited money, and a lot more, would come back to him with the long-term security of a deal of up to five seasons, but it's still much less than he would get in a sign-and-trade or likely, in another option, keeping the current pact at $7.4 million and hitting the open market in summer '09.
No sign-and-trade seems to make sense for both teams, though. The Lakers will want to dump a bad contract (Vladimir Radmanovic, with slight tweaking needed from there to make the deal work under the cap) while the Kings will see very few available Lakers as potential difference makers in the Sacramento future, with young point guard Jordan Farmar the most intriguing consideration. L.A. can't even offer a first-round pick until 2012.
Call The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper, (916) 321-1210.
