 Oklahoma City WiretapDrobnjak goes from Seattle to Clippers in sign-and-tradeThe Seattle SuperSonics traded center Predrag Drobnjak, who had gone unsigned all summer as a restricted free agent, to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday for a future second-round draft choice. Drobnjak, 6-foot-11 and 272 pounds, averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 82 games last season for Seattle. He was the Sonics' starting center for most of the season. Drobnjak received little interest on the free agent market, and the teams worked out a sign-and-trade deal that prevented Drobnjak from waiting 15 days to see whether Seattle would match an offer sheet from the Clippers. ``This way he can start with the Clippers immediately,'' Sonics spokesman Mark Moquin said. The Sonics have three other centers _ Jerome James, Calvin Booth and Vitaly Potapenko, while the Clippers lost starting center Michael Olowokandi as a free agent when he signed with Minnesota. During the offseason, the 27-year-old Drobnjak was a teammate of Clippers' guard Marko Jaric on the Serbia and Montenegro team that participated in the European Championship. He was also a member of the Yugoslavian National Team that won the gold medal at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis. A native of Yugoslavia, he was acquired by Seattle from the Washington Wizards in 2001. The Wizards had chosen him in the second round of the 1997 draft. Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Clippers set to order center off Sonic menuBarring any last-minute snags, the Clippers today will complete a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics to acquire center Predrag Drobnjak for a future second-round draft pick. Drobnjak, a restricted free agent, averaged 9.4 points last season. The Clippers are expected to sign him to a four-year contract at an average of $2.5 million per year. The Clippers considered signing him to an offer sheet in the summer until the opportunity for a sign-and-trade arose. With last year's starting center, Michael Olowokandi, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers are not set at that position. Along with the 6-foot-11 Drobnjak, the Clippers have 15-year veteran Olden Polynice, second-year player Melvin Ely and rookie Chris Kaman, taken sixth overall in this year's NBA draft. Drobnjak is not a classic low-post center but is a good perimeter shooter. Although it is not likely that Drobnjak would be the starting center, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said he envisions him in the regular rotation. "He has good mobility and is a good outside shooter," Dunleavy said after the team's first training-camp workout Saturday. Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Sonics sign EvansForward Reggie Evans signed a contract on Friday night, about 12 hours before the Sonics' first practice of the season. He agreed to a two-year deal guaranteed to total more than $1 million. There was still no announcement on Saturday regarding center Predrag Drobnjak, the team's other restricted free agent. He had reached an agreement in principle with the Los Angeles Clippers, who were discussing a sign-and-trade deal with the Sonics. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said a sign-and-trade agreement had been agreed to in principle late Saturday, but not officially consummated. The agreement is thought to be for a future second-round draft pick, but a final decision won't be known until Sunday. If no sign-and-trade agreement is reached, Drobnjak will sign an offer sheet with the Clippers. That would be delivered to the Sonics on Monday, and Seattle would then have 15 days to decide whether to match and retain Drobnjak. Drobnjak has remained in Los Angeles and could start working out with the Clippers this weekend if a deal is made. Drobnjak played the past two seasons with Seattle, and averaged 9.4 points and started 69 games in 2002-'03, most of any center on the team. The Clippers' agreement with Drobnjak is thought to be a four-year contract with a starting salary at more than $2 million. Via Seattle Post-Intelligencer Oklahoma City, Los Angeles Clippers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Sep 2003 Archive
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