Thread: Agent: Artest 'not likely' to become free agent
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Old 02-21-2008, 07:10 PM   #1 (permalink)
Peja Vu
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Agent: Artest 'not likely' to become free agent
It gets crazier every day.

Quote:
"Of course (Artest not being traded) changes a lot of about your perspective; a lot of things change," said Stevens, whose client will earn $7.4 million next season if he doesn't opt out. "Exercising our option at this point is possible, but not likely.

"It's possible, but it's not likely to happen at this point."

Artest's previous position that he would likely opt out left the Kings in an unfavorable position, as not trading him meant they could lose him this offseason for nothing in return unless they were able to execute a sign-and-trade with another team. They decided to keep him nonetheless, a move partially motivated by the lack of trade proposals they considered worthy but also because the notion of Artest remaining in their future remains.

Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said his high opinion of Artest as a player hasn't changed. And while the notion of the Kings re-signing Artest once seemed implausible whether it was this summer or the next, the possibility now clearly exists.

"That's Ron's choice to make on his opt out," Petrie said. "(But) we'll work through that when we get there. In the meantime, Ron is in a great space, is playing well. (Kings coach) Reggie (Theus) really enjoys having him. He's got everything in the world to be playing for....I don't know for certain what the future's going to hold."

Nor does Joe Maloof, although the Kings co-owner indicated that it could certainly involve Artest for the long term.

"It's a great possibility that he will stay with us, and that we will be able to have him for the future," Maloof said. "My advice to him would be Go out, play the rest of this season as hard as you can. Stay a good teammate, and at the end of the season we'll sit down and talk about a future. It's impossible right now to decide what the future is until we see what happens in the next two months."
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/730413.html
Last edited by Peja Vu : 02-22-2008 at 12:02 AM.
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