July 1, 2008 Ron Artest is not opting out of his contract with the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein. "Not opting out. The Kings have been there for me, so the best I could do is stay in my contract," he said. Artest will make nearly $8 million this year.
Our View:This is good news for the Kings, at least on the court. Artest had another good season, which translates well for fantasy owners. He averaged 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals in 57 games last season.
June 26, 2008 Doing his best Chad Johnson imitation, Ron Artest has yet again changed his mind and now seems likely to opt out of his contract with the Kings by Monday and become a free agent, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Our View:Artest is likely to have an extremely long list of suitors for his services as team's would love to add his tenacious nature to their club, baggage and injury risk be damned.
June 22, 2008 Sacramento forward Ron Artest knows rumors are swirling of a potential trade to the Lakers, and he wants you to know he has no interest, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Our View:Artest has told ESPN that there is almost no possibility that he will exercise his option to get out of the final year of current contract, a move he would have to make by June 30th. If that holds true, the Lakers would be forced to trade for Artest and Stein believes there is no way the Kings can make that move without asking for Lamar Odom (and his expiring contract) in return. However, while the Lakers might consider such a move, Artest went on to express his total disinterest in accepting the mid-level exception as pay, something the Lakers would be forced to do to get Artest's number to a level that works. It would seem that these rumors may become too difficult to figure out if Artest stands by his word. We'll keep you updated.
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