Kobe Bryant teams up with his rival competitor. In a free-agent swap of forwards, the Lakers reached an agreement with Houston Rockets forward Ron Artest and the Rockets have reached agreement with Trevor Ariza. Artest met with Lakers executives throughout the day and agreed to terms of about $18 million over three years. Ariza agreed to a five-year deal with the Rockets for about $33 million, roughly the same that the Lakers had offered in their effort to retain him.