INDIANAPOLIS - Ron Artest and the Indiana Pacers had all but broken their unhappy union at long last.

Then, before either could breathe a sigh of relief, there they were - still together.

The saga of the player and team that no longer want each other took a predictably unpredictable turn Tuesday, when a reportedly “imminent” trade that would have sent the volatile forward to the Sacramento Kings for sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic collapsed.

For a while it seemed the Pacers would rid themselves of their biggest distraction, not to mention their most visible link to one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history. For a while it seemed the Pacers would get the scorer they needed, and the flagging Kings would get the all-around player they lacked.

Instead, the Pacers have to endure their headache - and an incomplete roster - a little longer.

That events changed so dramatically, so suddenly, shouldn't be a shock. After all, Artest entered the season pledging to help the Pacers win a championship, yet was publicly asking to be traded a month into the season.

ESPN and The Indianapolis Star had reported earlier Tuesday that the teams had agreed to the trade, which was merely awaiting league approval. Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, told The Associated Press earlier in the day that a deal to move Artest “is imminent, almost as soon as possible.” After the trade apparently collapsed, he did not return phone calls from the AP.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle and CEO Donnie Walsh confirmed Tuesday night that the deal was off.

“There is no trade right now and there may not be a trade,” Carlisle said before Indiana played the Cavaliers in Cleveland. “There's nothing to talk about because there is no trade.”

Artest told the Star that the deal had collapsed, but left open the possibility that something still could happen.

“There's no deal,” Artest told the newspaper by telephone. “It's not that I don't want to play there ... I'm letting my agent handle things. He's taken over things.”

So the lengthy standoff continues between the Pacers and Artest, who was deactivated in December after requesting a trade and was suspended most of last season for his role in the brawl at a game against the Pistons in Detroit.

Artest has had the best statistical seasons of his career in the two he didn't complete. The forward averaged a career-best 24.6 points last season before the brawl in Auburn Hills. This season, Artest led the NBA with 2.6 steals per game and was second on the team with 19.4 points per contest.

The Pacers have struggled without Artest. They were 10-6 in games he played in and are 11-14 without him. They started off strong after Artest was deactivated, but now have lost five of six games.