Ron Artest denies trade request from Lakers

Ron Artest remains a Laker for now

Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest on Wednesday denied a report saying that he wants the team to trade him prior to the trade deadline on February 24.

The mercurial player said he was content with his situation in Los Angeles despite the team undergoing a rough patch in their season.

"No. Definitely not," Artest told the LA Times after practice Wednesday. "I feel very good every day. We've got a chance to win multiple championships here...trying to work towards another banner."

Artest is not having a productive season with the Lakers. In December, he had a spat with team coach Phil Jackson because of Jackson's public criticism of him.

"We're sticking together," Artest said. "We're moving forward. That's all that matters."

Artest has $21.8 million and three years left on his player deal after this season and not many teams would be willing to take on his contract.

The Los Angeles Lakers also denied that Artest has requested a trade. His agent David Bauman also said his client was not looking to play elsewhere.

Jackson said he thinks Artest wants to perform well for the high-profile Lakers and is staying put. Kobe Bryant said he is not concerned about the trade rumors surrounding Ron Artest.

"I keep the train moving," Bryant told the LA Times. "We're going to keep moving and in June, they'll say nothing."

Ron Artest suffered a right thigh injury in a losing effort against the Boston Celtics earlier and played sparingly in the Lakers' game against the Houston Rockets which LA won 114-106 in overtime.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Thursday February 03 2011, 3:56 AM EST. Ref: LA Times. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0