SEATTLE – Downstairs, the Seattle SuperSonics went through a spirited Tuesday workout in preparation for Thursday’s visit by the Philadelphia 76ers to KeyArena.
Upstairs, in offices with windows overlooking the practice court, the team’s brain trust was engaged in telephone calls and meetings in advance of Thursday’s NBA trading deadline.
If those conversations prove fruitful, a player or two could be headed elsewhere by the time the Sonics tip off against Philadelphia. Then again, all that chatter might mean nothing more than a bigger phone bill at the end of the month.
“This is the time of year you have to talk,” Seattle general manager Rick Sund said Tuesday. “But what are the odds of getting something done? The answer is, who knows? (The trading deadline) is never a huge time for trades, but you do like to plant seeds and get a dialogue going for something that might be possible in the future.”
“We have to see what is out there,” added coach Nate McMillan. “We want to make decisions that are right for the organization. If it’s not right, you don’t do it. But if it’s something that’s good and if it makes us better, then we make that move.”
Over the years, the Sonics have made very few deals at the league’s trading deadline. One of the exceptions, of course, happened a year ago when Seattle engineered a blockbuster swap shortly before the deadline, sending nine-time All-Star guard Gary Payton and guard Desmond Mason to Milwaukee for guards Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie and Flip Murray, and a first-round draft pick.
This season, the Sonics have been active in trade talks. They are known to have had interest in Atlanta forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a 2000 Olympian, and reportedly dangled Brent Barry and Murray as part of their offer. The negotiations ended, though, when Atlanta recently sent Abdur-Rahim, center-forward Theo Ratliff and guard Dan Dickau to Portland for forward Rasheed Wallace and guard Wesley Person.
Barry, a veteran guard in the last year of his contract, and Murray, an up-and-coming guard who has had moments of brilliance this season, are two of Seattle’s most attractive commodities. Another is forward Vlade Radmanovic, a promising youngster who is frustrated at having lost his starting spot.
“I’m happy here, but I’m not completely happy here,” said Radmanovic, a native Serbian who is 23 and in his third NBA season. “If something better shows up, I’m more than glad to go. I came to Seattle 2 1/2years ago, and basically Seattle is my new home right now. But as soon as I move somewhere, if I move, then that new city is going to be my new home. That’s how I look at things.”
In the days before the deadline, he added, “all you can do is wait and try not to think about it. And if your phone rings and it’s your agent or your GM, then you probably are going to have to pack all your bags and say, ‘See ya later.’ That’s how it is.”
Center Jerome James, another early-season starter who has moved to Seattle’s bench, is pretty sure he has also been included in trade discussions around the league.
The reason? “When you’re under .500,” he said, referring to the Sonics’ 25-27 record, “everybody’s name comes up. Everybody is a potential trade victim.”
Like Radmanovic, James is not adverse to a trade, though he says he “really doesn’t pay any attention to that stuff.”
“My focus is that I have 30 games left in the regular season,” he said. “So I just want to come out and play basketball. The way I look at it, a door is going to open sooner or later and I just want to make sure that I’m in a position to take full advantage of the opportunity. Outside of that, I don’t really put any concern into whether it’s with the Sonics or any other organization.
“The one thing I do know, I know I can play. I know I’m one of the better big men in the league. With that confidence, I’m going to continue to get better. I’ve gone out sometimes and looked amazing in the post. And then there’s been sometimes I’ve gone out and looked ridiculous. It’s just a matter of being more consistent at the positive end of that spectrum.”
McMillan knows his players will be preoccupied today and Thursday by the approaching deadline. It is something he remembers from his own days as a player.
“It’s just something players have to play through,” he said. “I was once in that situation and my name was rumored a lot, and you just want (the deadline) to come and go.”
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