Peja Stojakovic Buy-Out Could Have Mavericks, Lakers Chasing Shooter, According To Report

Peja Stojakovic will soon reach a buy-out agreement with the Toronto Raptors, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein reports the sharpshooting Serb could land with the L.A. Lakers, Dallas Mavericks or New Orleans Hornets once he reaches free agency.

Stojakovic was traded to the Raptors early this season in a deal that sent Jarrett Jack to the New Orleans Hornets. Stojakovic had played for the Hornets since 2006, when he signed a $62 million contract after leaving the Indiana Pacers high and dry in free agency. The Pacers had grabbed Peja from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Ron Artest, who spent 2-1/2 season in Sactown before being traded for picks that would become Donté Greene and Omri Casspi.

Peja, 33, has assuredly seen his best days go by. He played sparingly under new Hornets coach Monty Williams at the start of this season and fared no better under Jay Triano in Toronto's European style attack. Stojakovic has always been a wonderful shooter; even when fighting through injuries the past two seasons in New Orleans, Peja shot better than 37 percent from long-range. He is above 40 percent for his career.

He made his mark in the NBA during the Kings' glory years at the turn of the millennium, teaming with Chris Webber and Vlade Divac to capture the nation's fancy with a high-octane offense and some great playoff runs. The Kings never quite got over the hump, losing a Game 7 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals in overtime against the Lakers. Peja had a rough go in that particular game, and earned an overall unfair reputation as being mentally weak.

He finished fourth in MVP voting in 2003-04, a season which saw Webber recuperating from a devastating knee injury well past midseason. The Kings crumbled in a Game 7 in the second round against the Timberwolves that postseason, and Webber ripped Peja in postgame comments. Both players were traded within the next couple seasons, and the Kings have never recovered.

The Mavericks recently added Montenegran gunner Sasha Pavlovic to the roster, and could use a solid wing scorer in light of Caron Butler's season-ending injury. Stein reports that Stojakovic would prefer to play in the Western Conference for some unknown but possibly weather-related reason.