HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) — Playmaker Ron Artest of the Sacramento Kings would join Chinese star center Yao Ming on the Houston Rockets under a trade deal being discussed between the National Basketball Association clubs.
The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the Rockets were close to pulling off a deal for the forward in their bid to make a run at an NBA title, citing an unnamed NBA executive with knowledge of the deal.
The newspaper reported that Artest would head for the Texas team in exchange for guard Bobby Jackson, a first-round pick in next year's NBA Draft, about one million dollars and another player whose identity was not known.
The deal would not be announced until August 14, the Chronicle reported, due to contract considerations.
That prompted the newspaper to speculate the other player involved was Donte Greene, the Rockets' top pick in this year's NBA Draft who cannot be traded until that date, one month after he signed an NBA contract with Houston.
Artest, 28, is one of the NBA's top defenders but also has become a controversial figure, notably playing a major role in the worst brawl in NBA history while playing for the Indiana Pacers in November of 2004.
Artest ran into the stands to throw punches at spectators during a game at Detroit. He was suspended for 73 games for his part in the melee, the toughest penalty in NBA history for a violation during a game.
In March of last year, Artest was arrested and charged with domestic abuse and after surgery on his left thumb last April decided not to opt out of his contract with the Kings by a July 1 deadline.
But Artest later said he felt he made a mistake by not testing the free agent waters, upsetting Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof.
Artest has averaged 16.0 points and 5.1 rebounds a game over nine seasons with three different clubs. He averaged 20.5 points last season with the Kings, his best total since the brawl.
The Rockets lost to Utah in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the second year in a row.
Artest would be reunited with Rick Adelman, who coached Artest for 40 games in Sacramento in the 2005-2006 season, if he went to the Rockets.
He would join Yao and Tracy McGrady as top scorers and unite with Shane Battier to give the Rockets to of the NBA's top defensive small forwards.
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