For a summer following a 31-win season, it’s been pretty active in Sonicland.
As Paul mentioned earlier, Johan Petro and Mo Sene decided to put in their annual “Tempt Us With Your Potential” display yesterday in SLC.
But that effort takes a backseat to two important bits of news.
1. The Sonics have apparently traded their trade exception from the Rashard Lewis deal and a second round pick to Phoenix for Kurt Thomas and two future first-rounders (and, no, neither is the Atlanta pick; you’re not that lucky, Sonic fans).
2. Brian Robinson at sonicscentral has launched a PAC called “A Deal is a Deal” which will begin the process to launch a petition calling for the city of Seattle to hold Clay Bennett and his dust bowl friends to the lease they became a party to when they bought the team.
Phew. That’s a lot to digest. First, the Thomas trade is manna from heaven. The burly center is in the last year of a contract that will pay him $8 million this season, which means the Sonics aren’t on the hook for some Calvin Booth-esque deal. He immediately alleviates the pressure on Robert Swift, helps the team’s interior defense, and makes Petro that much more expendable. Plus, Seattle picks up two future late first-round picks, which they can leverage for something, or hang onto to solidify depth. Beautiful all around for Sam Presti and the team. Kudos to the front office.
As for Brian’s initiative – if you’re a Sonic fan, I don’t see how you don’t get on board with this. The most important paragraph in his story is this:
“If we can recieve [sic] sufficient financial contributions we believe that we can have the required signatures in as little as 3-4 weeks. Checks can be made out to “A Deal is A Deal, PAC” and mailed to 2622 NW Market St., Suite A, Seattle WA 98107”
Honestly, if you’ve ever spent a dime on the Sonics, if you want to see this team stick around for your kids, if you just want to just stick it to Clay Bennett, whatever the case may be, I suggest you drop a check in the mail. This is a huge, David vs Goliath effort and Brian and the Save Our Sonics group can use all the help they can get. Get on board.
10 comments:
Great deal. It's got to a bit weird for Presti right now, huh? I guess you just bury your head in work and try to ignore the chaos swirling around you.
I really feel for the people working in the Sonics' front office right now. How'd you like to be a salesperson trying to put food on the table when your boss can't stop trashing your product?
"Hi, I'm Joe Smith with the Seattle SuperSonics. My reason for calling today is to talk about buying season tickets..."
"Click."
I think the trade is solid, but not great. A great move would have been to get ATL's #1 from Phoenix, but the fact that we got the 2010 pick is good. By then Nash should be retired and hopefully they're lottery or marginal playoff team by then.
If you hold the Bennett group to their lease, they may have to sell.
It's a question of whether the local business people want to invest in a business model as broken as the NBA.
I was pondering the same question: If the initiative process is successful and the City honors the lease and forces Bennett to stay, then what is the next thing to happen?
Team location aside, this is a great deal for the sonics. Presti is an absolute magician. First he somehow talks Orlando and Rashard into a deal that netted us a trade exception and pick for nothing. Then he uses the trade exception to get two first round picks and a vet center to lead the kids and give us depth. With a substantial expiring contract nonetheless.
Not only did we pick up some desperately needed post defense and a hard working veteran leader for the critical first year for our new stars, but now our two largest contracts will be expiring one after the other over the next two years. This, along with our five first round draft picks over the next three year, gives Presti unbelievable freedom to make huge moves over the next two years. Look what he's done this year with so much less! Plus there are huge free agents on the market next year, which coincidentally is when thomas expires and wally is in the last year (and thus is very valuable). GM of the decade...
Presti has done everything humanly possible to SET the soncis for the future. I can't wait to see what magic he works in fixing our PG situation. After the league has time to digest the brilliance of presti's moves, I think GM's across the country are going to fear a phone call from our boy...
I love the above post. Presti has impressed me so far. I love how in the Rashard trade, he basically talked Orlando into (instead of us getting nothing) a) give us Kurt Thomas and two first round picks, and b) just give Rashard ridiculously more money for longer than he would have (likely) signed with them anyway. I was reading an article earlier that mentioned that the last year of his contract would pay him more than any other player in the HISTORY of the NBA not named Kobe Bryant. I love Rashard, and he's a talent to be sure, but that is un poco loco. in my opinion.
The Suns are moronic for making this deal. Kurt Thomas is the only player on their team who can guard Tim Duncan. They NEED him to if they're to get past the Spurs anytime soon.
I wouldn't be surprised if Phoenix is significantly worse this season. They lost both James Jones and Kurt Thomas, both of whom play key roles in their rotation, and have nothing to show for it.
Winning isn't worth the money to Robert Sarver, evidently.
Yeah, they're desperate to get under the salary cap, and this last deal will at least put them within shouting distance of it.
Somewhere, Mark Cuban is laughing his ass off. Check this out:
Since the Nash signing:
Dallas.....185-61, 22-20 in the playoffs, 4 series won, 1 NBA final
Phoenix...177-69, 25-21 in the playoffs, 5 series won, 0 NBA finals
And, the Suns owe Nash about $35 million over the next 3 seasons. If he can't stay in front of the quicker guards now, what's he going to do when his legs start to go?
I don't know that it gets Phoenix under the cap, but I think it gets them under the luxury tax threshold. I think that was the point of the deal.
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