As the Denver Nuggets make the hard choice about including Linas Kleiza into the package it will take to pry Ron Artest out of Sacramento, it should be remembered that on several levels parting with Kleiza wouldn't be so simple.
Kleiza isn't just a player for Denver, but part of the ownership's family. Stan Kroenke has known Kleiza since his days at Missouri, when he was a teammate and close friend of Kroenke's son, Josh. The Nuggets traded for Kleiza, a 6-foot-8 Lithuanian, on draft day in 2005 and watched him develop into a terrific young player.
"There's a feeling from ownership that, ‘Hey, we've helped turn this kid into a player, so how can we let him go'" an Eastern Conference executive said.
First of all, Artest can be a free agent this summer, and Kleiza, is signed through 2010. The prospects of losing Artest for nothing in return is unappealing for the Kings.
Before the Spurs made the trade for Seattle's Kurt Thomas on Wednesday, there was rampant speculation that the Spurs were bidding on Artest, too. This wasn't true, said an executive and agent with knowledge of those negotiations. The Spurs and Orlando Magic were the final two suitors for Thomas. The Spurs never offered the package of Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round pick to the Kings for Artest.
The Kings are reshaping under coach Reggie Theus, who has been impressive his rookie coaching season. They are expected to re-sign Spurs castoff guard, Beno Udrith, to a long-term deal this summer.
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