Free-agent forward Ron Artest has said he’s leaving the Houston Rockets to sign a deal, estimated to be worth $18M, with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I am happy to say I am goin’ to L.A,” Artest wrote in a text message to ESPN.

The deal is estimated to be a 3-year contract worth around $18M.

“He wants to win a ring,” David Bauman, Artest’s agent, told The Associated Press. “He’s a winner and a hard worker and he went looking for a team with whom he could find some justification for what he does. He plays his best when he’s in that kind of an environment.”

Is it possible the Lakers will be even better next season!?