plz post insider regarding payton on trading block, thx

Baker's gone; are Lewis and Payton next?

by Chad Ford


Who says trading an overweight, under-producing kool-aid addict is impossible? It looks like the Sonics are now just hours away from making a bold move that could eventually change the entire face of the franchise.

Two league sources confirmed to Insider late Sunday night that the Celtics and Sonics had reached a deal that will send Vin Baker and Shammond Williams to Boston in return for Kenny Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko and Joe Forte. The teams are expected to submit the paperwork to the league sometime this morning. An announcement could come as early as this afternoon. The Seattle Post Intelligencer and the Boston Globe are also reporting that the deal should be finalized today.

Sonics fans are dancing in the streets in downtown Seattle this morning. The team would have traded Baker away for Shawn Bradley and some Chex mix just to get the disappointing Baker out of the clubhouse. With this trade, the team will be able to clear another nine million in cap room next summer. They'd love to throw all of that Jason Kidd's way when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Moving Baker was considered priority one in the Sonics' rebuilding plan this summer. Priority two, re-signing Rashard Lewis, is going much slower. The Tacoma News Tribune reported Sunday that the Sonics are trying to get Lewis to sign a seven-year, $49 million deal. Lewis was furious that the Sonics have offered him only a starting salary that is $500,000 more than what backup center Jerome James got and about $40 million less than the deal he was seeking. Lewis is so disappointed with the team's offer that he's considering signing a three-year contract for the mid-level exception with another team. The News Tribune reported in today's editions that the Mavericks have contacted Lewis. The Rockets, Bulls, Raptors, Nets, Knicks and Sixers also have interest in Lewis with their mid-level exceptions.

"If Rashard wants to go to another team, there is nothing I can do about that," Sonics GM Rick Sund told the News Tribune.

The Sonics also put the kibosh on Gary Payton's contract extension demands late last week, Insider learned. The team has decided that it won't give Payton an extension and wait to see how the market plays out in 2003. Now that the Sonics have moved his best friend, Baker, and brought in another starting-caliber point guard in Anderson, you can expect Payton to start lighting a few trade fires of his own. The Warriors, Knicks, Heat, T-Wolves and Bucks all have interest in Payton.

"He's not happy," a source in Seattle told Insider. "We'll wait to see what happens with Rashard before we decide what to do with Gary. Neither he nor Kenny are going to be happy with the situation. Something has to give."

That wont happen. Vull will definitely offer more than 4.5 since they are so under the cap. Plus playing 4 rising stars could be irresistabull