Kings have more pressing issues than Artest's future

	Ron Artest can opt out of the final year of his contract ($7.4 million) after next season. Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

Of all the befuddling personalities and contract issues confronting the Sacramento Kings, guess which is near the bottom of the list?

Ron Artest.

If the Kings were to stack all of their worries and concerns from top to bottom, the penthouse of their angst would include the following:

• Can they -- or should they -- trade Mike Bibby?

• Will the NBA be able to strike an agreement with the local government on a new arena to keep the franchise in Sacramento?

• How quickly can they rebuild around shooting guard Kevin Martin and center Brad Miller, the two starters most likely to remain in Sacramento beyond next season?

• Can team president Geoff Petrie come up with a rebounding, shot-blocking big man to complement the untradeable Miller?

• Is Eric Musselman the right coach to bring in the new era?

This is not to diminish Artest's latest trouble. He was arrested Monday on suspicion of domestic violence and using force or violence to prevent a woman from reporting a crime. (The Sacramento Bee identified the woman as his wife, Kimsha. Deputies have responded to five 911 calls from Artest's home since August, including two domestic disturbances between Artest and his wife.) He was released from custody after posting a $50,000 bond, and the team has sidelined Artest indefinitely, with pay, pending further information. Artest is scheduled to be arraigned on the two felony charges March 22.

If the issue is whether the Kings and the NBA should be ashamed by yet another case of extremely bad judgment by one of its most infamous stars, the answer is yes. Absolutely.

But if the issue is limited to the prospects of the Kings' basketball club, and whether prospects have been wrecked by its investment in Artest, then the answer is no.

That's because Artest isn't necessarily of their future. He's making $7.5 million this year, with salaries of $7.4 million each of the following two. But he can -- and is expected to -- opt out after next season in search of a long-term deal.

Will Sacramento vest him with a five- or six-year contract worth $10 million or more annually? Probably not.

Would you pin the goals of a franchise on such an unreliable person? Once you give Artest a long-term contract, you're at his mercy.

The Kings haven't given up on this season. A team official insists they would still prefer to make the playoffs for the 10th straight year at the expense of moving up in the lottery, and as of Thursday morning they were just a game out of the playoffs at 28-32. But the odds of catching the No. 8 Clippers will be slimmer without Artest, who had been playing at a high level since January.

In any case, it's clear to the Maloof brothers that their team needs an overhaul; otherwise they wouldn't have been so willing to move Bibby at the trade deadline last month. A major renovation will be underway soon. But even if they can't trade Artest after the latest incident, don't assume they're going to rebuild around him.