Odom-Artest Deal Still Alive

Rumors circling the Lakers concerning a Lamar Odom for Ron Artest trade have yet to be squashed.  Speculation continues that the Lakers forward will be shipped to Sacramento in exchange for Artest and Kenny Thomas’ $18 million contract.  Thomas’ contract would have to be included to make the financial aspects of the deal match up.  Artest has just one year remaining on a contract in which he is grossly underpaid, at $7.4 million for the final season.  Odom is set to make approximately $14 million next season.

Keep an eye on the Ronny Turiaf situation because it relates to the trade scenario.  Turiaf has signed an offer sheet with Golden State for four years at approximately $17 million.  The Lakers have a week from the day he signed the offer sheet to match the offer or Turiaf walks.  It’s unlikely the Lakers will match the offer given to Turiaf, but if they do you can immediately disregard the possibility of an Artest deal for financial reasons.  Should the Lakers pull of this trade, it would make them the hands down favorite to win the NBA Finals.  Artest reportedly holds Kobe Bryant in the highest respects and it’s unlikely that there would be any clashing between the two stars.

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