The Denver Nuggets were interested in forward Ron Artest at the trade deadline, and Artest said if the trade went through the Nuggets would be higher in the standings right now, the Rocky Mountain News is reporting.

"(If) God put me in Denver, it?s no question they would be a better team," Artest wrote in an e-mail Friday.

But Artest wrote, "the Kings didn?t want to trade (him), so it was impossible for me to be a Nugget." But he joked, "The only way I was coming to Denver is if (forward Carmelo Anthony) was in the deal."

According to the report, Artest also stated that he is not planning on opting out of his contract for next season.
"My agent does not want me to opt, out and it is his choice," Artest wrote about Mark Stevens.