Ron Artest, the mercurial forward who has bounced from Chicago to Indiana to Sacramento to Houston, has landed in Los Angeles, and Trevor Ariza is on his way to the Rockets.
Artest, 29, said Thursday he has agreed to a contract that will make him a Laker next season.
The Lakers cannot comment on pending deals — contracts cannot be signed until Wednesday — but Artest’s agent, David Bauman, said the deal was for five years and between $34 million and $35 million.
“I don’t care about the money,” said Artest, who played for the Rockets this past season. “I’ll play there for nothing. L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”
Artest’s presence meant the Lakers probably would have had to choose between Ariza and Lamar Odom — both unrestricted free agents — as to which member of their NBA championship team they would try to re-sign.
However, Ariza met with Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman in Las Vegas on Thursday and reportedly agreed to sign a contract with the Rockets next week — essentially making it an Artest-for-Ariza swap.
“No one from the Lakers has made any kind of offer to Trevor,” Ariza’s agent, David Lee, said before the news came out of his agreement with Houston. “In fact, we were told to go out and find out what others will pay you and then come back to us.”
Ariza, who made $3.1 million last season, is seeking to at least double his salary. The Lakers reportedly offered Ariza $5.6 million, the mid-level exception, but some reports say he could command double that amount.
“Trevor wants the fans to know that this is not a matter of greed,” said Lee, adding that Ariza sensed the Lakers didn’t want him even after his postseason success.
Artest could demand the full mid-level exception from the Lakers, which has yet to be determined by the NBA. He averaged 17.1 points last season and is still a formidable defender. Ariza averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Lakers last season.
