The Lakers to trade Odom For Ron Artest? Nonsense!

Many Lakers fans are hoping for it. The media are dropping hints all over the place about it. But it’s just not going to happen.

At least not straight up and probably not as a package. In any trade, the best that can happen is a win-win situation. The worst is a lose-lose deal. And that’s what we have here.

First off, why would Sacramento pay twice as much for a player who is only half as good as the one they have. It just doesn’t make sense. Unless they demand that the Lakers take one of their bad contracts.

Like the Lakers, the Kings have two horrible contracts. Namely, Kenny Thomas at $20 million and Shareef Abdur-Rahim at $13 million. They would probably consider packaging Thomas with Artest, but that would leave the Lakers about $13 million in the hole.

Mostly likely Kupchak would try to get rid of one of his two bad contracts. Last summer, he threw away $30 million to re-sign Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic. Together, they aren’t even worth half of that. So, I can’t see Sacramento’s Geoff Petrie wanting any part of either one.

It would be a lose-lose situation for both teams: Kupchak taking on Thomas’ contract, and Petrie taking on either Walton’s or Radmanovic’s contract.

There is one other possibility. Kupchak could ask for Rahim’s $13 million contract and then sign Vujacic to a two-or-three year contract at $2.5 to $3 million or instead include Jordan Farmar in the deal that just might even things out contractually but not talent wise. 

The Lakers would get Artest, a great player but somewhat of a flake in the personality department. They would lose a decent point guard or a 3-point shooter.  And they would be stuck with Rahim’s $13 million, and he’s not really a suitable replacement at this point in his career for Rony Turiaf who has signed with Golden State for $17 million.

As for Sacramento, Lamar Odom is not a very good three. If he remains with the Lakers, Kupchak and head coach, Phil Jackson are left with the same quandry. Whereas, Artest is an ideal three – if he doesn’t upset the locker room camaraderie.

 

So, all in all, both teams would be looking at a lose-lose situation.  Of course, you never know with Kupchak, who has made only one decent trade since he has been GM.  He seems to like those kind of deals.  Kwame Brown, anyone?