--The Sonics fell from No. 2 -- the pick they deserved -- to fourth when the NBA Draft Lottery was held May 20.
--Former Utah Jazz player personnel director Troy Weaver recently joined the Sonics as the team's assistant general manager, replacing Scott Perry, who spent one season with Seattle before returning to the Detroit Pistons as their vice president of basketball operations. Weaver has a background both as a talent evaluator and coach. He played a pivotal role in helping the Jazz drafting Deron Williams, C.J. Miles, Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap.
Before Utah, Weaver worked as an assistant coach at Syracuse, where he was responsible for recruiting Carmelo Anthony to the Orange's 2003 NCAA championship team. Weaver also had assistant coaching stints at New Mexico and Pittsburgh.
Weaver will work with current assistant GM Rich Cho, who is entering his 11th season with the Sonics and is the team's salary-cap specialist.
--The City of Seattle and the Sonics seem headed for a June 16 trial date, which could determine if the team will stay in Seattle for two more seasons. The NBA Board of Governors approved the team's application for relocation to Oklahoma City during its meeting in April. However, the city of Seattle filed a lawsuit to force the Sonics to honor a specific performance clause in the team's lease with KeyArena, stating the team must play all of its home games there for the remainder of the lease. The KeyArena lease ends September 2010.
The Sonics offered $26.5 million to buy its way out of the last two years of the lease in February, but the city rejected the offer. No other offer has been made by the Sonics with about four weeks left before the trial.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "When you're not called on draft day, it's tough going through that back door. It's about perseverance." -- Seattle native Will Conroy, who participated in a two-day, minicamp hosted by the Sonics. Conroy is attempting to earn an NBA roster spot after playing in Italy last season.
