Can Danny?

When Seattle moves, they will no longer be the Sonics and I have no idea what the new name will be. Cowboys, Pioneers, Bullfrogs, Flight, who knows. But the state bird is the Scissortale Flycatcher so I went with that.

1. Sort Out The Roster 
While I'm still not a huge fan of Jeff Green, he seems to have a place in the Sonics's future alongside Kevin Durant. I'm not sure how long the Durant at the 2 experiment will continue but it seems like GM Sam Presti is convinced it can work. The Sonics have to figure out what to do with Robert Swift. I can't imagine he'll demand too much money but do they really want to spend more time on him rather than their other project big men, Saer Sene and Johan Petro?

The veterans aren't much. Chris Wilcox is solid and they might be able to find a taker for him and his expiring contract. Ditto for Nick Collison. Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson aren't terrible but they are both overpaid so I'm not sure who'd really be interested in them, especially since they are the point guards on a team that is widely considered to be desperate for a point guard.. Damien Wilkins is solid but unspectacular. Donyell Marshall is washed up but he's an expiring contract so he could have some value.

2. The Draft
There are reports that the Sonics could be shopping the pick which makes some sense. If any younger star for the #4 and Chris Wilcox and Donyell Marshall's expiring contract they should jump at it but it's hard to say right now who is available. Wilcox, Marshall, and #4 for Richard Jefferson (and the #10 or a future pick, perhaps)? A sign and trade for Agent Zero? One interesting option could be for the Sonics to clear out most of their contracts (Luke Ridnour, Nick Collison, Earl Watson, and Donyell Marshall) along with the 4 for one year of Stephon Marbury and David Lee and the 6. I'm one of the few people in the world who thinks Steph is prime for a comeback season so I'd make the deal D'Antoni gets another white pass-first, defend-never PG in Ridnour and a big man with a better shot in Collison, although Nick's deal goes into 2010 when the Knicks are looking for LeBron cap space so they might not be interested in him.

Presti should be working the phone but if the deal doesn't happen then the choice is between Jerryd Bayless and Anthony Randolph.  Bayless seems like the better player but Randolph fits the roster and Presti's love for tall versatile players.

The Sonics also have the #24, #32, and #46 picks so they'll be able to stock up on quality young players like Bill Walker, Ty Lawson, Javale McGee as well as foreign sliders like Omer Asik, Omri Casspi, or Anton Ponkrashov.

3. Trade Market
None of the Sonics have huge long term contract so all of them are pretty dealable. Yes, Luke Ridnour is overpaid at 6 million per year but since it's only two years, people might be willing to roll the dice. Collison has three years left but he seems a bit more useful. The hardest guy to move is probably Earl Watson (also at 6 million) which is why I'd probably just dump them all in the Marbury deal.

That leaves Chris Wilcox, who is just 25 years old, makes only 6 million, and has had a couple of solid seasons. The reason I think the Sonics might want to deal him is mainly because I think they'd like someone better defensively in the paint and he's also not one of Presti's guys. I could see him being shopped around and Memphis seems like the best destination. A move that could work would be Wilcox and the #32 for Jason Collins, Javarris Crittenton, and the #28. Yes, Crittenton and the #28 are two of the main pieces the Grizz got for Pau Gasol but Chris Wallace is an idiot and the owners are cheap so they'd probably be happy to have the #32 and the non-guarenteed second round contract as opposed to the #28. I'm a big fan of Crittenton and I think, at 6'5, he'd be a good complement to Jerryd Bayless (should they draft him at #4), who could focus more on scoring and Durant moves to the SF position where I feel he is better suited. Either way, the Sonics should be able to find a taker for Chris Wilcox (if they want to deal him) and the deal I offered would probably be the low-water mark for what they expect back. (Of course, as I type this I find out that he just arrested on a weapons charge which might make the Crittenton deal about right).

4. Free Agency
The Sonics don't have much cap space this year and also don't seem to be much of a draw. While they could offer deals to guys like Ryan Gomes, they might be better off waiting until next season when they have loads of cap space and will be able to go after bigger game via signings or trades.

5. Summary
The Sonics could be setting themselves up much like the Blazers did these last few years, clearing up cap space while loading up on young talent. It's a wide open draft day for the Sonics and they could head into next season with loads of youth and almost no long term contracts holding them down. It will be a brand new day and a bright future when they finally get to Oklahoma City.

Possible Final Roster
Starters: Javarris Crittenton, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Johan Petro
Bench: Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins, Bill Walker, Saer Sene, Robert Swift, Adrian Griffin, Jamont Gordon, Donyell Marshal.