Ron Artest to Opt out, Try to Join Winner

Although it was assumed by most that Kings small forward Ron Artest would choose to become a free agent after this season, he said for the first time Saturday that he would likely exercise the early termination option in his contract as expected.

"You know, I guess everybody assumes (I’m going to opt out)," he said. "If you’re going to bet your house on it, then bet that I’m going to opt out. But that time will come later. We’ll see what happens."

While predicting what Artest will do next is a futile task in any forum, he continued to speak about potential free agency in ways few players – if any – do. Namely, he said the money he could land matters far less than the chance for a championship. [Click here for more from the Sacramento Bee.]