In what may seem like a trade, Ron Artest will join the Los Angeles Lakers and Trevor Ariza will join the Houston Rockets. It wasn't by trade however. Artest agreed to sign with the Lakers on a three-year deal worth around $18 million. Ariza decided to sign with the Rockets to a five-year deal worth around $33.5 million. Ariza felt disrespected after the Lakers decided to offer him the mid-level exception. He felt he should've been paid more and then turned his interest into other teams. He signed for around the mid-level exception with the Rockets.
The signing of Ron Artest is a great one. Their team was already a championship-contending team going into next season as it stood. Now they put themselves in a great position to repeat. I don't think the Rockets are getting much in Trevor Ariza. He had a good season, especially in the second half of the season and in the playoffs, but Ariza should not be counted on to do many things. He is great at jumping passing lanes, but he is not a great defender. His offense is limited as well, and he has no superstar like Kobe Bryant to feed off of.
The signing of Ariza, in two to three years, will come out to be the most overrated signing in this years free agency period. There's not much that Ariza offers that will help the Rockets. Losing Artest's scoring will hurt the Rockets. If Yao Ming doesn't play next season or for the rest of his career, the Rockets need to start their rebuilding plans, which means getting rid of Shane Battier and Tracy McGrady. They want to trade McGrady now, but they can wait until his contract comes off the books and then let him enter free agency next year. They need to get young players in a deal involving Battier, but he doesn't have much value.
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