A year ago, the Seattle Sonics rose in the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery in order to earn the rights to the second overall pick, which turned out to be Kevin Durant. The 2007-2008 Rookie of the Year represented his organization at last night’s 2008 lottery, but his good fortunes weren’t as strong as they had hoped. Seattle went into the night with the second-best overall odds, but fell two slots to end up with the fourth overall selection.

Derrick Rose? No longer an option. Michael Beasley? No longer an option. However, there are certainly a plethora of attractive options for Sam Presti to choose from. Percy Allen of The Seattle Times suggests that Jerryd Bayless may be the best option, and Presti didn’t refute that notion.

So say goodbye to Rose and Beasley and say hello to Jerryd Bayless.

The 6-foot-3 Arizona freshman, touted as the second-best point guard in the draft, is among a handful of second-tier prospects who will draw serious consideration from the Sonics.

Others include Stanford 7-foot center Brook Lopez, who will likely be taken by Minnesota, USC guard O.J. Mayo, Indiana guard Eric Gordon and Italian League forward Danilo Gallinari.

“Everybody goes into the lottery with hopes of getting the No. 1 pick, but we’re excited to have the fourth pick because we feel like we can get a quality player there,” general manager Sam Presti said. “We’ll get someone that can help and continue to build on the foundation that we have in place.”

Several draft Web sites believe the Sonics will select Bayless, a shoot-first point guard who averaged 19.7 points, 4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 3 turnovers in 30 games.

“He’s is an explosive scorer and he is a relentless competitor,” said Washington Huskies assistant coach Cameron Dollar. “Every possession, he puts so much heat on you that it required everything we had to hold him down and contain him.”

Bayless scored 48 points in two games against the Huskies.

What sets him apart from Mayo and Gordon is his ability to score, dribble into the lane and draw fouls. He connected on 18 of 20 free throws against Houston and had a six-game stretch in the Pac-10 during which he attempted at least eight free throws each game.

“He’s very aggressive and very competitive with the right type of edge,” Dollar said. “He was the most difficult guy for us to prepare for in the Pac-10 season because of his ability to get to the free-throw line and his ability to take guys off of the bounce. He can shoot it with deep range and defensively he can get down and get after it as well.

“He has the whole package.”

Presti also has not ruled out the possibility of dealing the pick.

He said the Sonics are open to shopping the fourth pick. Seattle also has the No. 24 pick, four picks in the second round and a combined four first-round selections in the next two drafts.

“With that many selections in the draft, we’re certainly going to be busy,” Presti said. “The phone will probably ring a few times on draft night. We’re going to use those assets as ways to try to build our team and build on the foundation that we have in place.”

A Western Conference executive said Tuesday a handful of teams are interested in moving up in the draft to select Mayo and would likely call Presti inquiring about a trade.

The embattled guard, who faces allegations of accepting $30,000 from an agent last season, could be a poor fit for the Sonics. Since Presti arrived last year, the team has placed a high emphasis on rebuilding with high-character, low-maintenance players.

“I’m confident that we’ll add another talented player, so we’re excited,” Presti said.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

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