By JARED TKACHUK                   August 10, 2001

The present condition of the Sonics' franchise was epitomized when GM Rick Sund declared that the team is being built around their young players, such as Rashard Lewis and Desmond Mason. Building your team around Desmond Mason?! How bad can things get? Last season, Mason averaged 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 43.1% from the field in 19.5 minutes. The Sonics are built around Gary Payton, and have been for a long, long time. 

Although Seattle hasn't made the playoffs for the past 2 seasons, it is the 2001-02 season that seems to be the most foreboding. The Sonics have already allowed free agents Patrick Ewing, Ruben Patterson, and Emanual Davis to walk away, while receiving absolutely nothing in return. The Sonics will miss Patterson's 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds average, his 49.4% field goal shooting, his energy and versatility, and especially, his defensive intensity. Seattle was hoping that Davis might be ready to fill in as the back up for Gary Payton, but he's gone to the Hawks. 

Perhaps the only thing in a sadder state of affairs than Seattle's shooting guard position (Brent Barry, Mason, and sometimes Shammond Williams) is their frontcourt, anchored by Vin Baker. Baker has a 7 year, 86.7 million dollar contract, or about $12.4 million per year, the biggest contract on the team (yep, more than Gary Payton gets). Baker rewards the Sonics for their dedication by averaging 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 42.2% from the field in 28.0 minutes per game. As a rule of thumb, your scoring average should be higher than your yearly salary. Things got so bad near the end of the season that Coach McMillian did not even bother to start Baker. 

Last year the Sonics declared that they were not getting enough out of Ewing (9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game in 26.7 minutes) to justify the cost ($16 million). Even though they didn't utilize Ewing as they could have, they were right in being disappointed, and Ewing has been let go, to sign with Orlando.

How do the Sonics respond to the loss of their overpaid center? By signing Calvin Booth to a reported 6-year, $33 million contract! 5.5 million bucks per year for this guy? Booth averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17 minutes last year. Although I'll admit he is a pretty strong defender (2.02 blocks per game), his talent does not constitute $5.5 million per year. Even if you double his minutes to 34, he's not that impressive.

Seattle could have used that money on the other player they had their eye on, Golden State's Marc Jackson. His rookie stats were quite respectable: 13.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 46.6% field goals, in 29.4 minutes. He is also 270 pounds, bigger than the 241 pound Booth. Or better yet, use that money on free-agent Anthony Mason, a legitimate all-star and former recipient of the Sixth Man Award. Calvin Booth's getting $5.5 million and Mason can't find a team that wants him. This league has gone stir crazy. 

Also, with Baker and Booth starting at the 4 and 5 spots, who backs them up? Or is Seattle going to pull out all the stops and re-sign the fearsome Jelani McCoy (4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes) to fill in? A front court of Baker, Booth, and McCoy? Something other than changing team logos must be done. 

Portland has supposedly offered Damon Stoudamire, Bonzi Wells, Dale Davis, and Will Perdue for Gary Payton and Vin Baker (what a dynamic duo Baker and Kemp would make!). If I was managing Seattle, I would take this deal in a blink of the eye, if only because Portland is willing to take on Baker's appalling contract, which plagues them until 2006. Stoudamire is a sound point guard (13.0 points and 5.7 assists in 32.4 minutes), Dale Davis is solid (7.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.7 minutes), and Bonzi Wells is one of the league's exciting up-and-comers (12.6 points and 4.9 boards in 26.6 minutes). 

However, the big problem with this potential trade is that Stoudamire's agent, Aaron Goodwin, has already publicly said that if Stoudamire was traded to Seattle, he'd want out. Seattle doesn't want to have to deal with that kind of situation, especially if they couldn't find a suitor for Damon right away and he's forced to stick around. 

But that doesn't mean that this trade should die completely. Seattle has to balance out their team and the Blazers are dying for Payton. Portland should be looking to bring a third team into this deal, a team that would want Stoudamire and could accept his contract, and that would be willing to part with someone good. In fact, why not put this trade on the shelf until December, and then get the Knicks involved. By that time, I'm sure New York will be desperate for a point guard who can score and create for himself, a legitimate center, and a way to unclog the Sprewell, Houston, Rice debacle. This is also the first month that Houston can be traded. 

Seattle could receive Allan Houston ($16.6 million), Othella Harrington ($2.5 million), and Charlie Ward (4.7 million), for a total of $23.8 million. Portland would get Payton ($12.2 million) and Vin Baker ($12.4 mil), for a total of $24.6 million. New York would obtain Damon Stoudamire ($11.6 million), Dale Davis ($7.8 mil), Bonzi Wells ($1.6 mil), and Will Perdue ($2.4 million), for a total of $23.4 million. If this deal is not up to the Sonics' expectations, the Knicks could also swap Clarence Weatherspoon ($5.5 mil) for Calvin Booth ($5.5 mil), unless Seattle really wanted to keep him for some reason. In that case, Weatherspoon could be shipped for McCoy and a few undesirables. 

This deal would save the Sonics $800,000, New York $400,000, and would cost the Blazers $1.2 million, but they don't seem to ever mind that do they? Perhaps they could send a player making the minimum over to the Knicks to balance it out a little bit. 

Seattle would then have a decent point guard, an all-star shooting guard, an up-and-comer in Lewis, and Harrington, Weatherspoon, and either Booth or McCoy up front. The team would be improved, especially considering Harrington by himself is better than Baker. Portland would have their Gary Payton and a legitimate shot at winning the title, especially because Payton is one of the hungriest players in the league. As for New York, they would actually have a point guard and a center, while holding onto Sprewell, Rice (17.9 points per game and 48.3% shooting last year in the 27 games he shot over 12 times), Camby, Thomas, Bonzi Wells, and Mark Jackson. Wells would be a great back up for the 2 and 3 positions because, unlike Rice, he doesn't necessarily need lots of shots and minutes to make a positive contribution. So, all three teams win. 

There's only one thing I don't understand looking at the lineup that the Sonics have right now. Why isn't Gary Payton demanding a trade?