2007-2008
Finish: 37-45

What went…
Am I the only one who thought the previous Seattle owner was one of the worst GMs the NLL ever experienced? I don’t need to run down his transgressions again, but Antoine Walker, Jason Richardson and Al Harrington are still laughing their way to the bank because of all the damage this guy inflicted. When the team and the city of Seattle finally had enough of good ol’ James, they ran him out on a rail and brought in promising rookie GM Magritte. They didn’t know what they got themselves into!

Even though this guy completely gutted this perennial stinker and did up with a better product, he was still Trade Crazy. But what you see on paper isn’t even the half of it. This guy had more deals fall through than a crack dealer in a Kindergarten class. Without adieu, the Seattle Sonics Trade Crazy Team By Team! (One side note: The Sonics signed and waived Adam Haluska five times during the season)

Al Harrington, Andre Owens, Jose Barea and JamesOn Curry for Brian Cardinal, Jarron Collins, Charlie Bell and Shelden Williams – One has to start somewhere. The key here was dumping Harrington’s ludicrous deal. Of course, taking back Cardinal’s hefty contract isn’t too brilliant. Everyone else is filler in this deal. Don’t worry, they will be traded soon enough!

Jacque Vaughn, Charlie Bell and 2nd rounder for Luke Jackson, Gerald Green and 1st rounder- The Seattle-Indiana connection continues as Magritte takes advantage of a silly Pacers GM. He send Bell back and gets the most talented player of the group (Green) and 1st rounder of a team destined to suck. It wasn’t much longer before the people of Indiana sacked that GM. Great move for Seattle.

Shaquille O'Neal and David Noel for Brent Barry, Joe Smith and Troy Murphy- Blam! With one move, the future of the Sonics is saved. Dumping Shaq is a great idea, especially with his bloated contract. Getting Murphy and some aging players back isn’t the best thing in the world, but it gives the team much more flexibility. Shaq couldn’t carry the Bulls (He is traded again) to the playoffs. Smart move.

Austin Croshere, Udonis Haslem and 1st rounder for David West and 2nd-Rounder (Tor)- Haslem is good, but West is better. That pick could have been valuable, but the Sonics needed help now, not later. Another smart move! Let’s hope he hangs onto West for awhile.
Jason Richardson, Darrick Martin and Gerald Green for Tayshaun Prince, Jason Kapono and Luther Head- J-Rich is the best player in this deal. But he is still receiving James-era money. Dump him! Sonics get a solid player in Prince. Can you see this team shaping up now?

Maceo Baston, Robertas Javtokas and Jason Kapono for Chris Mihm and Willie Green- The Sonics put a band aid on the shooting guard problem for awhile with Green. Good deal. Kapono is a bust and they get a quality guard back in the process. Team is looking better and better.
Kyrylo Fesenko for Johan Petro- Time will tell how this one will turn out. Minimal risk for either team.

2nd rounder for Steve Blake- They give up very little to get a viable backup for Chris Paul. Blake may not be cheap, but he is a true point guard. And those are sometimes hard to find.