Sonics Play Let's Not Make A Deal -- After Pippen, Richmond Deal Falls Apart, Too

It was a day that started with the promise of a bang. A day that could have brought the acquisition of one, maybe two, All-NBA performers. A day that would have gone down in league annals as Blockbuster Wednesday.

But, after the intervention of owner Barry Ackerley, it all ended with a whimper for the SuperSonics.

After all the talk and posturing and almost runaway speculation, the only trade the Sonics made yesterday was sending Zeljko Rebraca, a little-known Yugoslav whom they made the 54th and last pick of the NBA Draft, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves' 1996 second-round pick.

And that after coming a hair-trigger close to a deal that would have landed them Chicago Bull star Scottie Pippen for Shawn Kemp, a second-team All-NBA pick, and Ricky Pierce. And also after coming close to a deal with the Sacramento Kings involving Mitch Richmond, the league's highest scoring guard last season, and Sonic guard Kendall Gill.

Instead, Seattle ended up using the 11th pick to take Carlos Rogers, a 6-foot-11 forward out of Tennessee State whose tenure as a Sonic may be brief.He is expected to go in a trade with Pierce to Golden State for Sarunas Marciulionis and Byron Houston.

But that trade can't be completed until after the recently imposed moratorium on player contracts is lifted. Houston has a non-guaranteed contract which must be guaranteed before it can be included in a two-for-one player transaction. Marciulionis, who missed last season with a torn anterior cruciate, also must pass a physical before the trade is a go.

Seattle's drafting of Rogers essentially killed a trade that would have sent Gill and the 11th pick for Richmond, who would have satisfied the Sonics' need for outside shooting. The second-team, All-NBA selection had informed Sacramento that he preferred to be traded to a contender. With Richmond due $3 million next season and Gill's salary falling within 15 percent of that at $2.6 million, the proposed swap fell within the parameters of the salary cap.

The Kings, who took forward Brian Grant with the No. 8 pick, have no interest in Rogers, so the deal probably can't be revived.

The Sonic-Bull negotiations suffered a more dramatic end.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, a trade sending Pippen for Kemp and Pierce was approved by Sonic owner Barry Ackerley and Bull owner Jerry Reinsdorf on Tuesday. The deal probably did not include Will Perdue, as previously reported, because the Bulls were prepared to open a $1.015 million salary cap slot for Kemp and his $850,000 salary by renouncing the rights to looming free agent Scott Williams.

Pierce, who will make $2.4 million next year, is part of the trade as a cap counter to Pippen, who is due $2.1 million.

The original deal probably didn't include the Sonics' No. 11 pick or Chicago's No. 21. A proposed swap of those picks became a real issue only yesterday, the sources said. The proposed change, by Chicago, gave Ackerley an opportunity to squash the deal, which he did yesterday afternoon, much to the shock of his basketball staff and the Bulls.

It is believed Ackerley was persuaded by other members of the Sonic organization that the team would take a public-relations beating over trading the popular Kemp. When the decision was announced, the crowd at the Sonics' draft proceedings in a packed Arena let loose a raucous and prolonged cheer.

In Chicago, there was an opposite reaction. Bull president Jerry Krause is said to be angry because he believed he had an oral deal with Seattle. Krause and Bob Whitsitt, the departing Sonic president, teamed on several major trades that both have described as "blind-trust deals" because they involved each taking the word of the other.

The Bulls' apparent eagerness to trade Pippen may have something to do with rampant rumors that Michael Jordan may rejoin them after ending his fling with professional baseball this summer. Jordan's return is said to be contingent on Pippen no longer playing for the Bulls.

Pippen also was described as bitter over the aborted deal. He had demanded, and was granted, a meeting with Krause when reports of the trade negotiations escalated earlier this week. He and Krause already have had severe differences, mainly over Krause's commitment to Toni Kukoc.

The Sonics immediately dived into damage control.

Sonic Coach George Karl deflected several inquiries about how and why the deal fell through, calling the questions "unfair." Karl and interim consultant Wally Walker repeatedly portrayed the trade as one that was introduced and pushed by the Bulls. That was substantiated by other teams approached about Pippen by Chicago.

"I have tremendous respect for Scottie Pippen - I'm not going to deny that," Karl said. "I have tremendous respect for Shawn Kemp, too. It's not often that you get a chance to talk about (acquiring) a great player. But we think Shawn Kemp is going to be a great player for a long, long time."

Walker said, "Ultimately, it was called off because of Shawn. There was some back and forth, but when you cut through all that, we wanted him to be here."

As positive a spin as the Sonics try to put on the aborted trade, they still may have some fences to mend with Kemp and Jeff Neal, his agent. Neal has been trying to renegotiate Kemp's seven-year, $25.4 million extension, which takes effect in 1995-96. He also represents Detlef Schrempf, a critical member of the Sonics who becomes an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

Karl said he plans to seek out Kemp today to tell him "the truth" about the near-deal.

"I hope Shawn Kemp understands that he's being compared to one of the great players in this game and that, in a way, it's a compliment," Karl said. "I love Shawn Kemp. If Shawn Kemp doesn't think I love him, he's crazy. He's basically the reason I'm a rich man."