Payton-Allen trade - who got the best of it?
Seattle gives up the franchise (Payton) but gets an all-star (Allen) who's 7 years younger. They desperately need a point guard, but at 22-30 they had zero shot at the playoffs anyway, so this is something they can address in the offseason.
Milwaukee continues to completely revamp the league's most underachieving 2001-2002 team. Big Dog (Glenn Robinson) gone preseason. Now Allen finds himself shipped out too. Payton (my favorite non-KG NBA player) will hopefully bring some much-needed fire (and defense) to a soft Bucks team. Desmond Mason is a talented young player, but they really could use some size. The 2 biggest questions for Milwaukee: 1 - How does Sam Cassell fit in now? (Rumor has it they're trying a Cassell-for-Spreewell trade) 2 - Can they resign Payton this summer (he's a free agent).
I give the Sonics a B+ - they were going to lose Payton this summer to free agency, but they managed to get a star in return. The only negatives are: they had to give up Mason, and Allen's contract runs 2 more years (after this one) at $30 mil
Bucks - incomplete. If they can sign Payton and if they can move Cassell, I'll give them a B. If they are stuck with Cassell, they get a C+. If they lose Payton, it's a D.
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