The Seattle SuperSonics and power forward Chris Wilcox reached agreement today on a three-year, $24 million contract.
Wilcox’s agent, Jeff Fried, told The Associated Press the two sides finalized the deal Tuesday morning, and said it’s a “win-win situation for both sides.”
“After three years, if Chris progresses to the superstar level, we feel comfortable about the salary situation to compensate him and his superstar status,” Fried said.
The 6-foot-10 Wilcox is a restricted free agent and could have also signed a one-year deal with the Sonics.
In 29 games with the SuperSonics last season after being traded by the Los Angeles Clippers, Wilcox delighted Seattle fans with his athletic play and thunderous dunks that meshed well with the Sonics’ up-tempo style. He averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, shot 59 percent and averaged 30 minutes, all career highs.
Now, Sonics’ fans look like they will get three more seasons of Wilcox, who hopes to cash in on a big payday when this contract expires, just before his 27th birthday.
Wilcox, who turns 24 on Sept. 3, was taken with the No. 8 pick in the 2002 draft after his sophomore season at Maryland. He never found a role with the Clippers, especially playing behind All-Star Elton Brand, and was traded to Seattle from the Clippers on Feb. 14 for Vladimir Radmanovic.
Wilcox averaged just 4.5 points in 48 games with the Clippers before the trade.
The negotiations between Fried and Supersonics’ general manager Rick Sund was contentious at times, and made more complicated by the sale of the SuperSonics to the Professional Basketball Club LLC, led by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett.
But the sides appeared to reach a mutual understanding late last week during in-person negotiations. Fried was asking for three years and $24 million, while the Sonics were in the range of three years for $19 million. Fried also presented a number of sign-and-trade possibilities to the Sonics, but the team didn’t follow up on those.
Had Wilcox signed just a one-year deal, he would have made $3.4 million and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season.
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