[Video] Possible Artest to the Clippers for Maggette!

Marc Stein reported on ESPN radio that the trade talks between the Pacers and the Clippers have "fizzled".

 

on to the next set of rumors, this one is dead

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http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...601130488/1088

January 13, 2006

Injury fears cool Pacers on Maggette
INDIANA RULES OUT DEAL FOR CLIPPERS' PLAYER

By Mike Wells

The Indiana Pacers expressed interest in Los Angeles Clippers forward Corey Maggette but won't trade for him because of health concerns, a Pacers official with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

Both teams discussed a deal that would have sent Pacers forward Ron Artest to Los Angeles for the athletic Maggette, but the Pacers are worried Maggette's left foot injury could keep him out the rest of the season.
Maggette has a separated ligament in his foot and has been sidelined since early December. He is expected to be in a cast for another four to six weeks.
Maggette can't match Artest defensively, but he would have given the Pacers an added offensive weapon. He's averaging 21.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13 games this season.

Now it appears the Artest trade saga will stretch into a sixth week. The team placed him on the inactive list and told him to stay away from the team Dec. 12. The NBA's trading deadline is Feb. 23.

"We would like to get a deal done," Pacers president Larry Bird said. "We're looking at every option. Teams continue to call us every day, but we're going to do what's right for the franchise and not just do a deal to do one. We want somebody who is going to fit in with this team."

Denver and Golden State are believed still in the running for Artest. The Pacers have said they prefer to send Artest to a Western Conference team.

"We knew at the beginning of this journey that (Pacers CEO) Donnie Walsh was going to do what is best for the Indiana Pacers," Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, said. "Whatever the outcome is, we're patiently waiting to play basketball somewhere."

 

Artest rumor mill keeps on spinning

http://www.probasketballnews.com/amico_0113.html

By Sam Amico
Jan. 13, 2006

When it comes to trading Ron Artest, the Indiana Pacers are back where they started.

That’s what NBA front-office types are telling
ProBasketballNews.com, with the Feb. 23 trading deadline
just six weeks away.

According to various reports, the Pacers have been close to
sending Artest to everyone from the Golden State Warriors to
Denver Nuggets to both Los Angeles franchises. If there
were a team on Neptune, you can be sure somebody would
write that Artest was on his way there -- assuming his salary
matched that of the intergalactic being for whom he was
about to be dealt.

“I’ll tell ya what,” said one NBA general manager. “If it wasn’t
for Internet rumors, I’m not so sure a post-Michael Jordan
NBA would even exist.”

Initially, Artest was headed to the Clippers for Corey
Maggette. Then that deal reportedly fell through. Then it
caught fire again. Then several major news outlets reported
it was dead again -- as Maggette is expected to be sidelined
several more weeks with a foot injury.

Today, the best source on a trade between the Pacers and
Clippers is none other than Al Harrington, who just happens
to play forward for the Atlanta Hawks. And Harrington has
insisted it’s a done deal.

Make sense? Of course not.

“But logic isn’t always factored into these things,” said another GM. “When you start quoting players about trades, I think it’s safe to say you’ve exhausted all your resources.”



Somewhere between all the Artest-to-the-Clippers talk was a report that said he was headed to Denver, for Nene and Earl Watson. That too seems to have cooled, with the Warriors emerging as the latest rumored frontrunner.



“I’m not so sure (Artest) isn’t still going to Denver,” the first GM said. “I think people just got tired of talking about it, so they moved on to something else.”



That something else is possible trades involving the Hornets or the Warriors or yes, the Lakers. In fact, one of the deals that mentioned the Lakers was reported on this very Web site two weeks ago by yours truly.



But the GM who provided the scenario has since backtracked, saying, “Toronto is completely uninterested in helping (the Lakers) get Artest. So are a lot of other teams, for that matter. And the truth is, as badly as the Lakers want Artest, they have little chance of pulling off a deal without at least one other team helping them out.”



Does that mean the Lakers have exited the Artest sweepstakes?



“Not at all,” the GM said. “If they don’t wind up getting him, it sure won’t be for a lack of trying.”



In fact, the Lakers are now reportedly dangling everyone on the roster -- with the exceptions of Kobe Bryant and promising rookie center Andrew Bynum. Unfortunately for them, Bynum could be the player whom Indiana covets most.



Then there’s the Warriors.



It appears they are willing to part with Troy Murphy, clearing the way for prized rookie Ike Diogu to take the majority of minutes at power forward. Problem is, the Pacers also seem to be more intrigued by Diogu than Murphy.



“Right now, the Pacers probably aren’t going to get what they’re asking for,” said the first GM. “That sort of puts them in a little bit of a pickle. But maybe no more than anyone else.



“If you ask me, it all seems like a lot of fuss for a guy who has played about 20 in the past two years combined.”



The Artest Contenders



A list of teams most likely to land Ron Artest, according to discussions PBN.com has had with league executives:



• Warriors: Golden State is willing to part with anyone from Murphy to Mike Dunleavy to Mickael Pietrus to a few other “throw-in” types. GM’s comment: “Expect the Pacers to ask for Diogu until the last minute, then settle for Murphy and someone like (Adonal) Foyle.”



• Lakers: L.A. wants Artest -- bad. The Lakers are placing numerous daily calls to make a deal happen, almost becoming less NBA franchise and more telemarketing firm. GM’s comment: “Funny thing is, the Pacers originally wanted Lamar Odom and the Lakers said no. Then the Lakers said OK to Odom, and suddenly the Pacers don’t want him anymore. No matter, the Lakers are far from out of it. If they do get (Artest), they’ll probably have to wait until the middle of February.”



• Nuggets: The Pacers were indeed talking to Denver about Nene and Earl Watson. Those discussions reportedly stopped when they heard Kenyon Martin was on the market. He’s not. GM’s comment: “I’m ready to believe an Indiana-Denver trade is dead, but I know as soon as I say it is, they’ll make a trade. Either way, it’s highly doubtful they’re still talking about Watson.”



• Timberwolves: All of the trade talk has surrounded Wally Szczerbiak -- as usual. But Szczerbiak makes $3.5 million a year more than Artest, so somebody like Scot Pollard or Jeff Foster will need to be included from the Pacers’ end. GM’s comment: “The thing that makes it so hard to believe is Szczerbiak has been the focus of trade rumors since he set foot in Minnesota, yet he’s still there. And you have to wonder why they would risk trading him when he’s having a career year. It would be very risky, because they very well could win that lousy division and earn a top three seed (in the Western Conference playoffs).”



• Hornets: The scuttlebutt has New Orleans/Oklahoma City sending Speedy Claxton, Arvydas Macijauskas, Jackson Vroman and its top draft pick to Indiana for Artest and Anthony Johnson. GM’s comment: “If the Pacers made this trade, I would demand a congressional hearing. With all the stuff that’s being offered, no way is this the best they can do.”