The Pacers landed shooting guard Ron Mercer, swingman Ron Artest, center Brad Miller and backup point guard Kevin Ollie and sent Rose, point guard Travis Best, rookie guard Norm Richardson and a conditional second-round pick to the Bulls.

"It is very painful to give up players like Jalen Rose and Travis Best who have been a big part of the success we've had here," Pacers president Donnie Walsh said. "I believe this trade will help us because it gives us strength in areas we need them and it will also be helpful to our team's future."

A multi-player trade between the teams appeared imminent when the Bulls elected not to play Artest and Miller in Monday night's game against the Miami Heat. Mercer is on the injured list.

"We feel Jalen is an outstanding all-around player who can play three positions offensively and defensively and Travis is a proven scorer and defender," Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Jerry Krause said. "We hated to trade Artest, Miller, Mercer and Ollie, but to get quality you have to give quality."

Mercer, the Bulls' leading scorer at 16.8 points per game, is on the injured list. Artest was the team's second leading scorer at 15.6 points per game and Miller was third at 12.7.

The deal was officially completed on Tuesday morning, two days before the NBA trading deadline.

The Pacers (26-27) are one-half game behind Philadelphia and Charlotte in a battle for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Bulls (12-40) have the worst record in the NBA.

The 6-8 Rose is a starter at small forward and can also play both guard positions. He averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 53 starts this season and recently said he wanted to finish his career as a Pacer when trade speculation swirled last week.

In his final game as a Pacer, Rose scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead Indiana to an 86-76 win over Philadelphia on Sunday.

Rose, who turned 29 last month, is making $10.8 million this season and is guaranteed $72 million over the next five years.

A lefthanded shooter, Rose scored a career-high 43 points in Indiana's season opener at New Jersey and had 38 points in a January 11 game against Chicago.

But in sharing the spotlight with Miller in Indiana, Rose becomes the star in Chicago.

"Jalen's a very good passer, extremely unselfish, a fine scorer and in the prime of his career at age 29," Krause said. "His leadership qualities and versatility are an added plus."

Last season, Rose was one of only five players to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, averaging a career-high 20.5 points.

The NBA's Most Improved Player in 1999-2000, Rose is in his eighth season, six of those with the Pacers.

A first-round pick of the Denver Nuggets in 1994, Rose has career averages of 12.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Best, 29, will be a free agent after the season and is averaging 6.9 points and 4.0 assists in 44 games as a backup to rookie Jamaal Tinsley.

In Chicago, Best becomes the starter at point guard and will likely play more than 30 minutes a game.

Last season, the 5-11 Best averaged career-highs of 11.9 points and 6.1 assists for the Pacers.

A first-round pick in 1995, Best averaged 8.1 points and 3.8 assists in seven seasons with the Pacers.

Richardson was signed by the Pacers as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra last September and appeared in just three games with the Pacers.

The 25-year-old Mercer has been sidelined for nearly a month with a sprained knee ligament. He will make $6.75 million per year through 2003-04.

In his fifth NBA season, the 6-7 Mercer will join his fifth NBA team and probably play small forward for Indiana with Miller at shooting guard. Mercer has averaged 17.0 points in his career, shooting 43 percent from the floor.

The sixth overall pick in the 1997 draft, Mercer has also played for Boston, Denver and Orlando before signing as a free agent with the Bulls in August 2000.

Known for his defense, the 6-7, 245-pound Artest addresses Indiana's need for a player with the ability to cover high-scoring shooting guards and small forwards.

But Artest, 22, has played in just 27 games this season and will likely require surgery to repair torn ligaments in a finger.

A first-round pick of the Bulls in 1999, Artest has averaged 12.5 points in 175 games with the Bulls.

The 7-foot, 260-pound Miller fills Indiana's need for a big body in the middle. Jermaine O'Neal, who is 6-11 and 225 pounds, starts at center for Indiana with 6-11, 240-pound Jeff Foster serving as a backup. Along with averaging 12.7 points, Miller is grabbing 8.4 rebounds per game.

Miller, 25, signed as a free agent with the Bulls in September 2000 after spending two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in 105 games for the Bulls, but is probably best known for incurring the wrath of Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, who took a swing at Miller in a January 12 game.

The Bulls faced the possibility of losing both Artest and Miller when their contracts expire after next season. Artest is playing under his rookie contract and is making $1.2 million this season. Miller is earning $4.4 million this season and is guaranteed $4.8 million in 2002-03.

Trading Miller paves the way for the Bulls to give more minutes to rookie center Eddy Curry, who was selected out of high school with the fourth overall pick in the draft.

"We think that in Eddy Curry and Dalibor Bagaric we have two big, young centers who will be valuable for years to come," Krause said.

The 6-2 Ollie was signed as a free agent last September and averaged 5.8 points and 3.7 assists in 52 games with the Bulls.

Ollie, 29, will join his seventh NBA team in five years.

Chicago would also love to unload 38-year-old power forward Charles Oakley, who is in the final year of a three-year contract and expressed a desire to be traded to a contender.