The Lakers probably won’t swap Lamar Odom for Sacramento’s Ron Artest this summer. But the Kings and Miami Heat could be more likely trade partners, according to the latest report on the Artest saga in the Sacramento Bee.
The Kings could deal Artest and Kenny Thomas to the Heat for Shawn Marion, a trade that would seem to make more sense than the aforementioned Odom-Artest swap. Artest’s expiring contract of $7.4 million doesn’t match Marion’s expiring $17 million (and change) deal with the Heat, so Miami would have to take another player to make the numbers work.
Thomas is making $18 million over the next two seasons.
Interested though they may be in acquiring the muscular Artest, the Lakers are believed to be dead-set against trading Odom. They want to see the 6-foot-10 Odom play alongside 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum next season.
The Lakers also don’t want Thomas and his bloated contract.