Maybe I should be an agent.
Ever since Ron Artest publicly stated that he did not intend to opt out, I questioned the decision. Why play out the final year of a contract that pays $7.4 million when you could (at worst) sign a five-year deal at the mid-level for almost $34 million? Now, after Elton Brand and Baron Davis decided to opt out, Artest regrets his decision to stay in Sacramento.
“I don’t see myself with [the] Kings beyond 2008-09… I think I made the biggest mistake by staying in my contract and I have to live with it,” Artest said. “I had some misleading information [in making the] decision on not opting out.”
I realize that Artest’s skills make him worth much more than the mid-level, which would pay around $6.5 M per season, but his off the court issues make him a risky proposition. It is doubtful that even next summer, when there are a number of teams projected to have salary cap flexibility, that any title contender is going to pony up $10 million-plus for Artest. Why not take the guaranteed $34 million and pick your destination?
Since he has a very favorable contract and is still playing at a high level, it’s very likely that Artest will be traded before next season’s trade deadline. But he’s lost control over his destiny.
