<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If not for his legal troubles, Bryant would be the first domino to fall, which would then allow other teams to make their decisions. Other top free agents include Jamal Crawford - not a favorite of the Sonics - Carlos Boozer, Marquis Daniels, Rasheed Wallace, Kenyon Martin, Manu Ginobili and Quentin Richardson.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Likely, the Sonics will not consummate anything immediately because several sources within the organization say the team is going to pursue a trade to shake up a squad that has missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons and was 23rd in attendance and declining the past season. Sonics general manager Rick Sund has had discussions involving Ray Allen, in part because the team is unsure if it is going to be able to sign the guard to a contract extension this offseason. Allen, who represents himself, is likely to ask for a 12.5 percent raise from his upcoming maximum salary of $14.6 million, a request that is likely to make the team balk. If the sides think they cannot reach a compromise, Seattle likely will try to trade him. If the Sonics think they can bring back Allen, the players most likely to be traded are Rashard Lewis or Vladimir Radmanovic, both small forwards who are redundant on a team lacking big men. Lewis, who will earn $7.8 million next season, could bring back equal value, while Radmanovic would have to be packaged with other players because of his relatively low $2.3 million salary.</div> <font size="1">Full Story courtesy of Frank Hughes and the News Tribune.</font> I was discussing this with Casual the other day, and he quite rightly pointed out that not many teams are going to trade equal value for a swingman like Ray, particularly with his health troubles and his contract situation. It would more likely be getting a veteran back (someone on the wrong side of 30), or young, unproven talent. The quote about JC surprised me, as I would have thought trading Ray and a first rounder to Chicago would possibly get you Crawford, one of Chandler and Curry and a veteran like Antonio Davis or Jerome Williams. I love Ray, but I don't want to re-up him for the amount mentioned in the article.
According to David Aldridge we have shopped Ray in Minnesota and Boston. The Celtics don't want to give up Pierce, though.
