Sund extends contract; focus on coach, free agents, draft
He will never admit this publicly, but chances are good Rick Sund was hoping for a lockout this summer. Not a long work stoppage but perhaps a brief respite, which would allow him to make good on a promise of a much-needed vacation with his wife and kids.
After signing a three-year deal worth $3 million to $3.6 million yesterday, the Sonics general manager won't get a chance to relax for several months. He'll spend the next few days preparing for Tuesday's NBA draft, then focus on re-signing the team's multitude of players that will become free agents July 1.
"It's difficult to say what the most important thing is because when you do that, you leave out something else, so I won't do that," Sund said. "Let's just say, we got a lot of things to take care of, a lot of stuff to do. We're going to be juggling a lot of balls this summer. We're going to have a very busy free agency."
Sund will be primarily responsible for re-signing Ray Allen as well as the Sonics' other seven free agents. His duties, however, will not include negotiating with coach Nate McMillan, whose contract expires at end of the month.
CEO and team president Wally Walker, who began dialogue with McMillan's agent, Lonnie Cooper, two weeks ago, will remain the lead negotiator for the Sonics. Sund will assist in an advisory capacity for both sides.
"Nate and I have kind of been in the same boat since I got here, and we started the year with a common denominator, seeing as how we both were in the last year of our deals," Sund said. "I'm talking to Nate and I'm talking to ownership. It's been a good fit for four years, so let's keep it going."
McMillan is mulling a four-year offer believed to be valued at $18 million. While the Sonics have not given him a deadline to accept their deal, they've refused to grant him permission to speak with other teams while under contract.
It is likely McMillan will wait until his contract expires and explore coaching vacancies in Portland, New York and Milwaukee before making a decision. McMillan is also reportedly a candidate for the Detroit Pistons job if coach Larry Brown doesn't return after the NBA Finals.
As for Allen, Walker said he believes Sund will talk with Allen's agent, Lon Babby, in the next few days.
The Sonics and Allen are still determining how the new collective-bargaining agreement will affect their negotiations. Under the new CBA, once Allen becomes a free agent, he is eligible for a six-year deal from the Sonics with annual raises at 10.5 percent. He can only command a five-year deal with annual raises at 8 percent from another team.
At the All-Star break, the Sonics offered Allen a five-year, $75 million deal which he declined. The sides have yet to have substantial talks since that meeting four months ago.
"We said from the beginning of this thing that Lon and I are not going to give a play by play [on the negotiations]," Sund said. "I'll say this much, that I'll talk to him [before June 30]."
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