Maggette Is Staying, to the Relief of Team

Some Clipper officials privately expressed a sense of relief Friday because forward Corey Maggette was not traded to the Indiana Pacers for forward Ron Artest.

Indiana on Thursday rejected a trade proposal that would have brought Artest, the NBA’s defensive player of the year for the 2003-04 season, to the Clippers for high-scoring Maggette.

The teams were close to completing a deal late Wednesday night, two Clippers sources said, but the Pacers backed away Thursday because of concerns about Maggette’s left foot injury.

Maggette, injured Dec. 5 against the Miami Heat, might require surgery to implant a screw in his foot and be sidelined the rest of the season.

Although Coach Mike Dunleavy pushed to acquire Artest, others in the organization, including General Manager Elgin Baylor, were reluctant to make the move because of chemistry concerns.

The Clippers struggled with the decision to offer Maggette for Artest, team sources said, and Baylor was among the most vocal in his opposition to bringing in Artest, whose on- and off-court behavior prompted the Pacers to put him on the inactive list Dec. 12, two days after he voiced his desire to be traded.

Baylor apparently had reservations about Artest’s ability to fit in with the Clipper program, and Baylor also is fond of Maggette, a hard worker and the team’s second-leading scorer with an average of 21.7 points.

Artest is thought to be a better all-around player than Maggette, but a Clipper source said they considered the trade only because of the uncertainty about Maggette’s foot and the team’s poor play. After a 14-5 start, the Clippers are 4-9 in their last 13 games and opponents are often taking uncontested shots.

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The cast on Maggette’s left foot has not kept him from making cameo appearances in the announcers’ booth during Clipper games.

After all, it’s never too early “to set myself up for life after basketball,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity to work on something I’m not good at. I always want to get better at stuff.”

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Backup center Zeljko Rebraca, sidelined since late November after undergoing a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat, practiced in three-on-three contact drills for the first time since.

Afterward, he said he was off medication and looks forward to giving his team a boost in the low post, possibly within two weeks. “I’m out of shape, but I feel good,” he said.

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TONIGHT

vs. Seattle, 7:30, Channel 5

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 1150.

Records -- Clippers 18-14; SuperSonics 15-21.

Record vs. SuperSonics -- 1-0.

Update -- The Clippers defeated the SuperSonics, 101-93, in a season opener. Seattle All-Star guard Ray Allen has been suspended three games for fighting with Orlando guard Keyon Dooling.