<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Already engaged in contract negotiations with general manager Rick Sund, the Sonics initiated preliminary discussions with coach Nate McMillan and his agent, Lonnie Cooper, this week. According to an NBA source, the Sonics made McMillan a four-year offer with a base salary of $3 million in the first year, an average yearly salary of $4 million and a total value exceeding $19 million if incentives are reached.</div> Source Yes, some good news for Seattle.
Latest word is Nate is Detroit's second choice if Larry Brown goes, which he looks like doing so. That being said, it also seems their first choice, Flip Saunders, would accept the position if offered. New York still want Nate but have been deied permission to speak to him, and obviously Cleveland are out of the running. All in all, it's looking pretty positive for Mac10 to return.
Nate would be the kind of coach that the Pistons need, If I had to choose I would want Nate but Flip is a decent enough choice as well.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">By the end of the weekend, the Seattle SuperSonics should know whether they will have contractual agreements with coach Nate McMillan and general manager Rick Sund, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The Sonics are close to reaching a multiyear agreement with McMillan, whose contract expires June 30. The terms of a deal are not yet known, but a source indicated that negotiations that began less than a week ago have gone well enough that McMillan could come to terms by Sunday night. McMillan could not be reached for comment and did not return messages. His agent, Lonnie Cooper, also could not be reached. The coaching staff and management leaves next week for a predraft camp in Chicago that begins Tuesday, and a source said McMillan would like to have a deal in place by then. Multiple teams have called to seek permission to speak to McMillan, sources say, but the Sonics have turned down all suitors so far. It appears as if those teams will not get a chance to speak to McMillan at all. Sources say he is intent on remaining in Seattle and the Sonics are committed to keeping him. Meanwhile, the discussions with Sund have been placed on hold, ostensibly until an agreement with McMillan has been reached.</div> <font size="1">Full Story courtesy of Frank Hughes and the News Tribune.</font> Not sure how much truth/exaggeration is in that article, but to get Nate signed by the weekend, given the amount of Seattle's 'to do list' this offseason, would be a huge bonus.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Last week I wrote Nate McMillan wants to retain his 19-year relationship with the surging Sonics and continue to supervise their development. Nevertheless, it has come to my attention the rising free agent (June 30) remains undecided whether to re-enlist for another tour. A source on McMillan's side of the bargaining table insists this is not a money issue, it's about how good the Sonics will be next season when they regroup. How many of their eight free agents will return, in other words? Clearly, management is unable to guarantee a certain number. Consequently, McMillan is seriously thinking about entertaining offers from the Pistons (a marriage made at midcourt), the Blazers and the Lakers should Phil Jackson get that unloving feeling from Kobe Bryant. The Knicks, I'm informed, failed to so much as make the back end of McMillan's wish list</div> <font size="1">From HoopsHype, courtesy of the New York Post.</font> Well, it is Peter Vecsey.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/sonic...p-4506723c.html Frank Hughes seems to think it should be done by tomorrow...and Nate remains a Sonic.
