Report: Initial agreement for trade falls apart
A tentative agreement for a trade that would have sent the Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic has been rejected, ESPN's Jim Gray reported Tuesday.
Gray reported earlier Tuesday that both teams had agreed to the trade, pending league approval. Then, according to Gray, Artest informed both teams he did not want to go to the Kings. In light of that, Gray reported, the Kings have decided to reject the trade.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday night that the trade wasn't going to happen.
"There is no trade right now and there may not be a trade," Carlisle said before Indiana played the Cavaliers in Cleveland. "There's nothing to talk about because there is no trade."
"Anything involving speculation and 'what's up' can be saved for another time," Carlisle said. "If there is a trade at some point, you'll hear about it."
The deal would have ended a lengthy standoff between the Pacers and Artest, who was deactivated in December after requesting a trade and was suspended most of last season for his role in one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.
Sacramento officials and coach Rick Adelman would not comment before the team played at Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and Stojakovic was not at the arena with the team. He was listed on the active roster, however.
"He's got to be a little confused right now if they wanted to trade him," Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said of Stojakovic, who had traveled with the team but stayed behind at the hotel in Philadelphia.
Before the deal apparently broke down, Kings players were already talking about the trade as if it was a done deal.
"Peja will be missed," Kings forward Corliss Williamson said. "He's been in Sacramento for a lot of years, but life goes on in the NBA.
"We'll welcome Ron Artest with open arms and hope he'll be able to help us. You always hear about the situations he's been in and all the hype. Maybe this is the change he needs, to come into our system and flourish."
Even Stojakovic himself had braced for the eventuality of a trade when word spread of his involvement. Stojakovic told ESPN.com: "I don't think it's official yet, but it will be."
Instead, the Pacers are still looking for a place to send Artest.
Artest was a key component to a team that was expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He led the league in steals and was the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game before being deactivated after publicly requesting a trade in early December.
In five years with the Pacers, Artest was an All-Star once and was the NBA's defensive player of the year in 2003-04.
Pacers GM Larry Bird said the Pacers had been interested in Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers, but there was "no question" that Maggette's sprained left foot affected the process. Maggette averaged 21.7 points in 13 games before getting injured in early December.
The Pacers have lost four of their last five games, including Monday to the Atlanta Hawks, who have the NBA's worst record.
A tentative agreement for a trade that would have sent the Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic has been rejected, ESPN's Jim Gray reported Tuesday.
Gray reported earlier Tuesday that both teams had agreed to the trade, pending league approval. Then, according to Gray, Artest informed both teams he did not want to go to the Kings. In light of that, Gray reported, the Kings have decided to reject the trade.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday night that the trade wasn't going to happen.
"There is no trade right now and there may not be a trade," Carlisle said before Indiana played the Cavaliers in Cleveland. "There's nothing to talk about because there is no trade."
"Anything involving speculation and 'what's up' can be saved for another time," Carlisle said. "If there is a trade at some point, you'll hear about it."
The deal would have ended a lengthy standoff between the Pacers and Artest, who was deactivated in December after requesting a trade and was suspended most of last season for his role in one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.
Sacramento officials and coach Rick Adelman would not comment before the team played at Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and Stojakovic was not at the arena with the team. He was listed on the active roster, however.
"He's got to be a little confused right now if they wanted to trade him," Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said of Stojakovic, who had traveled with the team but stayed behind at the hotel in Philadelphia.
Before the deal apparently broke down, Kings players were already talking about the trade as if it was a done deal.
"Peja will be missed," Kings forward Corliss Williamson said. "He's been in Sacramento for a lot of years, but life goes on in the NBA.
"We'll welcome Ron Artest with open arms and hope he'll be able to help us. You always hear about the situations he's been in and all the hype. Maybe this is the change he needs, to come into our system and flourish."
Even Stojakovic himself had braced for the eventuality of a trade when word spread of his involvement. Stojakovic told ESPN.com: "I don't think it's official yet, but it will be."
Instead, the Pacers are still looking for a place to send Artest.
Artest was a key component to a team that was expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He led the league in steals and was the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game before being deactivated after publicly requesting a trade in early December.
In five years with the Pacers, Artest was an All-Star once and was the NBA's defensive player of the year in 2003-04.
Pacers GM Larry Bird said the Pacers had been interested in Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers, but there was "no question" that Maggette's sprained left foot affected the process. Maggette averaged 21.7 points in 13 games before getting injured in early December.
The Pacers have lost four of their last five games, including Monday to the Atlanta Hawks, who have the NBA's worst record.
