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Sad Sonics: Payton, Lewis still unhappy with team

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: What ever happened to Bonzi Wells? | Magic having a fire sale? | Harpring still looking for a home | Peep Show

Under pressure: Wallace must respond in contract year

Updated NBA Free Agent Watch

Sonics fans, the anesthesia is wearing off. The euphoria of the Vin Baker trade is dissipating and the ecstasy from dumping Baker is now quickly being replaced by the realization that the Sonics look like they could be in big trouble.

Owner Howard Schultz, CEO Wally Walker and GM Rick Sund spent four hours Thursday trying to convince free agent Rashard Lewis to take their money, but left Houston without a signed agreement.

"I think it was a healthy discussion as both sides got together and got to share some thoughts," Sund told the Seattle Post Intelligencer. "Basically, we came away that we're going to have more discussions in the future."

Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who is trying to sign Lewis, saw things a little differently. "All I know is they went home with nothing done," Cuban told the Seattle Times. "And I hope to talk to them [Lewis and agent Carl Poston] tomorrow."

While Cuban still thinks the odds are long that Lewis will turn down the Sonics' seven-year, $60 million offer for the Mavs' three-year, $15 million contract, the chances of Lewis bolting Seattle get better by the minute.

Lewis isn't the only one furious with Sonics management. Gary Payton's agent, Aaron Goodwin, finally got around to talking publicly about the Sonics' decision to veto an extension for Payton. Insider first reported last week that Sund had told Goodwin that the team would let Payton play out his contract this year and then discuss re-signing him next summer. The Sonics want to keep their options open so that they can make a run at Jason Kidd next summer.

Goodwin, who claims Schultz told him the team wanted Payton to end his career in Seattle, is furious. He told the Tacoma News Tribune in today's editions that Payton won't re-sign with the Sonics next summer if he doesn't get an extension. He also said it may be time for the team to trade Payton while it can still get some value for him.

"Absolutely not, Gary is not going to come back if he does not get an extension," Goodwin said. "I think that is what [the Sonics] are betting on, but I think it is a similar situation with Rashard right now. For Howard to meet with Gary, and for that to be contradicted left a bad taste in Gary's mouth. It made him realize they are not interested in his future as a Sonic. The Sonics have become a numbers team and we respect that. But if that is the case, it only makes sense for them to look to move him to a team where he can continue to flourish."

Payton's unhappiness with the team could have a major impact on Lewis's decision? The two are friends, and at one point in the season, Lewis said he'd be reluctant to re-sign with the Sonics if they didn't take care of Payton. But more important, Lewis has a strong sense of loyalty. He already feels that the Sonics' contract offer didn't reward him for the loyalty he showed the club two summers ago when he turned down a big deal with the Raptors. The Sonics' unwillingness to take care of Payton could be perceived the same way.

Payton, who makes $11.6 million this season, is in the last year of his contract, making his situation extremely favorable for a trade. If Lewis does decide to leave the Sonics, a team source has told Insider that they will definitely shop Payton to jump start the rebuilding process. With so many veteran teams in desperate need of a point guard, the Sonics should find plenty of takers for Payton. The key for them is getting some talented young players in return. The team is already set at two guard with Desmond Mason, one forward slot with Vladimir Radmanovic and at center with Jerome James and Calvin Booth. What the Sonics really need is a young, up-and-coming point guard and a solid low-post offensive player to round out the squad.

What could the Sonics get for Payton?

The Pacers think they have the weapons to make a big run in the East. What they really need is a veteran point guard to run the show. They may be willing to give up Jamaal Tinsley, Jonathan Bender and Austin Croshere to get their hands on the Glove. Payton and Reggie Miller would give them one of the most dangerous and experienced backcourts in the league. In return, the Sonics get a stud point guard, Bender, a 7-foot sharp-shooting athlete who oozes potential, and Croshere. While the Sonics won't be thrilled with adding Croshere's long-term deal, he isn't a stiff. He just couldn't get out of Isiah Thomas' doghouse.

Bucks coach George Karl has coveted Payton for years and would trade anyone on the roster with the exception of Ray Allen to get him. A trade of Payton and Brent Barry to the Bucks for Sam Cassell and Tim Thomas would work under the cap. If the Sonics made this trade, they could let Lewis slip away and they'd still have money under the cap to pursue a top-flight free agent next summer.

The Blazers, who have been trying to acquire Payton forever, could also put together a package of Derek Anderson, Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods that would make some sense for the Sonics.

The Warriors, Knicks and Heat all covet Payton as well, but they don't really have the young talent to work out a trade

Sonics owner Schultz joins Lewis talks

Danny O'Neil / Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Lewis meets with Sonics but is still undecided

Marc Stein / Dallas Morning News

Contract talks not going well

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

What ever happened to Bonzi Wells?

He is one of the more dynamic two guards in the NBA, but Bonzi Wells, like most free agents, has quickly fallen on hard times. The Blazers are balking at his contract demands and Wells is having a hard time finding another team willing to commit its full mid-level exception to him.

It's not because Wells doesn't have value, it's just that teams are convinced that the Blazers will match any offer up to the mid-level exception. That's probably true, but word around the league is that the Blazers don't really want Wells back. The team has a stacked backcourt and is hoping that Wells could bring back a point guard or a decent center in return. The Blazers have entertained sign-and-trade offers for Wells all month, but so far nothing has been to their liking.

Interestingly, the team with the most interest in Wells has been the Pistons. Detroit actually drafted Wells and then sent him to Blazers for a conditional first-round pick. The Pistons' starting two guard, Jerry Stackhouse, will likely opt out of his contract next summer. According to a league source, the team would be willing to swap Stackhouse for Wells, but the Blazers aren't interested.

Where else would Wells be a good fit? The T-Wolves have been trying to upgrade their athleticism at the two guard position. Talk of a possible Wells-for-Wally Szczerbiak swap has been floating around the league for a month. However, the trade would be difficult to consummate unless several more players were thrown in to get salaries to match. The Hawks have also been looking for a more athletic two guard. Though they deny that they're shopping Jason Terry, a Terry-and-Nazr Mohammed-for-Wells swap makes some sense. The Nuggets and Cavs are also possibilities.

Magic having a fire sale?

How bad is the financial situation in Orlando right now? The Magic gave the Nuggets a first-round draft pick to take Don Reid off their hands. And no, it wasn't so they can clear more cap room for Tim Duncan. Reid is in the last year of his contract.

The Magic had to make the move so that they could sign rookies Ryan Humphrey and Mario Kasun this season. With firm orders from ownership not to exceed the luxury tax, the Magic didn't have enough room to sign their own draft picks. How embarrassing is this for the Magic? The team's Web site reported that it gave away Reid and "future draft considerations" for a second-round pick.

Those future considerations are actually a first-round draft pick the Magic picked up from the Clippers during the 2000 draft when they shipped Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling and Derek Strong to the Clipps in return for some cap room so they could make a run at Grant Hill and Duncan. The pick is protected from picks No. 1 through 21 in 2003, No. 1 through 15 in '04, No. 1 through 14 in '05 and is unprotected in '06.

The Magic did pick up a $1.2 million trade exception as part of the deal. The bigger question is whether they can get some help up front for this season. Veteran Horace Grant says he'll be back. The Magic also appear to be close to reaching a settlement with Patrick Ewing, who is considering retirement. Ewing has a contract for $2.6 million for next season. A settlement would give the Magic even more room to sign another free agent his summer.

"I think it's unlikely Patrick will be back," Gabriel told Florida Today. "I think we're coming into the timeframe [for an official announcement]."

Whatever the Magic do this year, things don't look that much better next season. If the Magic renounce all of their free agents, including Darrell Armstrong, they'll have roughly $5-7 million in cap space (depending on where the cap is set). The team would likely have to trade away Mike Miller, Steven Hunter and Pat Garrity just to clear the cap space to get Duncan. In other words, quit dreaming about Duncan, Magic fans. It doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Magic trade Reid to clear more salary

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Magic trade Reid to the Nuggets

John Denton / Florida Today

Denver picks up forward

Marc J. Spears / Denver Post

Harpring still looking for a home

The Bulls brought in Matt Harpring for a visit early this week, but apparently they aren't the only team interested in the free-agent forward.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the Hawks, Heat and Jazz have also been wooing Harpring. However, nothing appears imminent.

The Hawks are having cap trouble right now. Pat Riley has permission to go over the luxury-tax threshold to sign another free agent, but he's got to take care of his point guard situation first. The Jazz are still negotiating with free agent Donyell Marshall and likely won't do anything until that situation is resolved. The Tribune also reported that the Bulls wouldn't sign Harpring unless they could move Eddie Robinson.

Bulls show interest in forward Harpring

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Peep Show

Suns: Shawn Marion became the second player in the class of 1999 to sign for a max extension. The deal will be for six years, $79 million. Suns president and general manager Bryan Colangelo has been negotiating an extension with Marion's agent, Dan Fegan, since the end of last season. The signing obviously ends rampant rumors that Marion was considering leaving Phoenix for a reunion with Jason Kidd.

Clippers: Speculation that the Clippers were shopping their two lottery picks this year, Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely, came to somewhat of an end Thursday when the Clippers signed Wilcox to his rookie deal. Now Wilcox cannot be traded until Dec. 15th. Expect the team to sign on Ely shortly.

Lakers, Blazers: Are the Lakers trying to lure Arvydas Sabonis out of retirement? Laker management has had discussions with Sabonis' agent, Herb Rudoy, to investigate the chance Sabonis would restart his career as a reserve in Los Angeles, the L.A. Times reported. However, the Blazers still own Sabonis' Bird rights, meaning they can offer him a much more lucrative deal than the Lakers.

Cavs, Spurs: The two teams are at an impasse on the Antonio Daniels trade. The Spurs are holding out for Chris Mihm while the Cavs are trying to get them to take Lamond Murray. Still, a source expressed confidence Thursday that a deal eventually might get done, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The Cavs are also said to be looking at free-agent guards Damon Jones and Erick Strickland. The Spurs are also reportedly talking to the Heat, T-Wolves and Celtics about Daniels. . . Speaking of Mihm, the Cleveland Plain Dealer has an interesting story about how Andre Miller and Wesley Person refused to pass Mihm the ball last season, in effect, freezing him out.

Heat: The team is exploring a number of free-agent options. Its first order of business is re-signing point guard Rod Strickland. However, it looks like the team won't stop there. The Heat are one of the teams interested in free-agent forwards Rodney Rogers and Matt Harpring. They've also expressed interested in Mavs restricted free agent Zhi Zhi Wang, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Knicks: Antonio McDyess said he has "no doubts" that he will be fully healthy when Knicks camp opens Oct. 1. "I'm way ahead of schedule," McDyess told Newsday. He said he hasn't even had to ice the knee after workouts. "I'll be 100 percent ready to go. The doctor said after the surgery it would feel better than the other knee. So far that's working out to be the case." In fact right now, he's more concerned about the Knicks finding a center to help him out down low. Still, McDyess is willing to play wherever to help the team. "If I have to play some center," McDyess told the N.Y. Daily News, "I will."

Marion to get $79 million deal

Norm Frauenheim / Arizona Republic

Sabonis Return Would Intrigue the Lakers

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Daniels coming home?

Chris Tomasson / Akron Beacon Journal

Mihm won't miss Person and Miller

Roger Brown / Cleveland Plain Dealer

Heat still pursuing Strickland

Israel Gutierrez / Palm Beach Post

McDyess: Knee Is Not a Concern

Tom Rock / Newsday

McDyess' mind on middle

Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News

[Teeareess]

In reply to:

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Where else would Wells be a good fit? The T-Wolves have been trying to upgrade their athleticism at the two guard position. Talk of a possible Wells-for-Wally Szczerbiak swap has been floating around the league for a month. However, the trade would be difficult to consummate unless several more players were thrown in to get salaries to match.

The Hawks have also been looking for a more athletic two guard. Though they deny that they're shopping Jason Terry, a Terry-and-Nazr Mohammed-for-Wells swap makes some sense.

The Nuggets and Cavs are also possibilities

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Bonzi's a decent 2/3, but there's no way I'd trade Terry for him. And to throw in Nazr? Makes no sense!

[jaywalker72]

Chad Ford has it in his head that the Hawks are hot to trade Terry, but I don't buy it.

Would the Hawks look at dealing Terry next season, after a year of watching Dan Dickau?

Maybe.

But the Hawks have guaranteed the playoffs, and now they are hot to trade the team leader and only legit PG right now?

No.

Add in the fact that Bonzi isn't a solid citizen like the Hawks like to have and the added notion of tossing in Nazr AND that Bonzi would have to sign an lucurative extension when the Hawks aren't even ready to extend Terry means that ATL will not make such a deal.

[DJ_Money]

...and I sure as heck wouldn't give up JT for him.

First, I'd see if they'd bite on Nazr/Kukoc/Dion (something similar). If I had to, I might go with Theo/Dion.

It's a tricky trade. You don't really know what you're getting with Bonzi. He can be bad or he can be really, really good. If we could get him, I'd be overjoyed.

[beav]

I like Wells a lot and really think that he would thrive with a change of scenery but no way would I trade terry for him... nazr makes a lot of sense given that the blazers desperately need a center though....

all of that could change if sabonis comes back though... I know that whitsitt tried to get him to come back last year but he refused... I think that he would like to come back to portland but I don't think that he would play with rasheed again...

[RLHawk]

Since the Magic now have a 1.4M trade exception, does a Nazr for Miller work straight up. I know it did not work before but does it now?

[capstone21]

Harpering.

He would be a good addition to the team and soldify us at SF. Is Pete willing to pay the tax to get him is the question. I say we make a play for Lewis if the team is willing to go over the Luxary Tax limit.

[capstone21]