Who got the best? The Sonics, the Sonics and the Sonics.
First of all, to clarify some of your misconceptions:
(1) Bucks had/have no intention of trading Sam Cassell. He's ridiculously underpaid, which makes him one of the top assets in the NBA. Payton prefers playing 2-guard at least 1/2 the time anyway. (And Cassell for Spreewell is a bit ludicrous - Cassell makes around 3-4M, Spreewell makes ~13M - not even close to doable unless Milwaukee threw in 1/2 the team.)
(2) I seriously doubt that the Bucks did the deal on the assumption they'd resign Payton. His agent is notoriously unrealistic, but more importantly, the owner is trying to sell the team. Sad as it may be, in the NBA it's easier to sell the Clippers than it would be to sell a top team (with a big payroll). The Bucks got rid of over $10M in salary for next year, and got a cheap young guy (Mason) in return. Unless Payton's current asking price (~$12M+ per year for 5+ years) drops like a rock, he'll got a full 6 weeks in his Bucks career.
(3) Payton's relationship with Karl is overrated. Payton's a phenomenally competitive player with an attitude - he's going to clash with any coach, especially one as strong-willed as Karl. However, no matter how tough he may be to deal with, there isn't a single NBA team that wouldn't love to have him (unlike Iverson, who's idiocies are more problematic).
The analysis: The Sonics' managerial party is surely continuing as I type. To win in the NBA you need 2 to 2 1/2 superstars. They just got one in exchange for one they had no intention of re-signing. If Lewis can develop into the other, then all they've got to do is build around them. Basically, it amounts to a Mason for Allen deal - a cheap promising young player for a well-paid young All-Star. The Bucks made out fine too - they purged themselves of a huge salary (and it seems that Karl wasn't in love with Allen anyway, despite his annual trips to the All-Star game) and got a young stud in return. This year, they're now in a position to make some noise in the East. Down the road, they've got a young small forward who's tenacious defensively. If Mason can continue to improve his scoring, he could become that 1/2 superstar - or maybe even a full share. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Also - Seattle will surely play better the rest of the way this season. The addition of Campbell will have a bigger effect than the Allen-Payton/Mason trade. People seem to be overlooking that Campbell fills their biggest need - and they gave up a pine-rider to get him.
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