2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics season

Following Bob Hill and Rick Sund's departures as head coach and general manager respectively, For the general manager position, Wilkens hired Sam Presti and months later P. J. Carlesimo was appointed as head coach of the Sonics. Wilkens quit a day later. Presti's first order of business involved a trade with the Boston Celtics on draft day that sent Ray Allen and the SuperSonics' second round pick Glen Davis to Boston in exchange for the Celtics' first round pick Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. Weeks later the free agent period began, and the SuperSonics' front office needed to reach a decision regarding Rashard Lewis' future, since Lewis opted out of his final two years and became one of the most prized free agents in the offseason. The team finally agreed to a sign and trade deal with the Orlando Magic. The other trade the Sonics made during the offseason brought 12-year veteran Kurt Thomas from the Phoenix Suns. The SuperSonics began preparations for the regular season on July 7, kicking off Summer League games in Las Vegas. The team finished with a 2–6 overall record, with rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green leading the team in scoring in the majority of the matches. Draft picks At the 2007 Draft Lottery the SuperSonics got the second overall pick behind the Portland Trail Blazers, matching their highest overall selection in franchise history. With their first round pick the SuperSonics selected Kevin Durant from Texas and forwards Carl Landry and Glen Davis in the second round. Davis and Landry were traded on draft day to the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets respectively. ==Pre-season==

The SuperSonics kicked off a ten-game pre-season on October 9, with a 98–104 loss visiting the Sacramento Kings. Following a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their next match three days later, the SuperSonics went on a 5-game losing streak before closing the exhibition tour with a victory against the Phoenix Suns in Vancouver, Canada. Game log ==Roster==

Kevin Durant and Jeff Green's regular season debuts were in doubt, since each player had to deal with sprained ankle injuries during the pre-season. Durant managed to return in time for the season opener on Halloween night, scoring 18 points in a loss against the Denver Nuggets. After their home opener (a loss against the Phoenix Suns), chances for the team to remain in Seattle took a heavy blow, as Sonics' owner Clay Bennett made public his desire to relocate the team to Oklahoma City. The SuperSonics remained on a losing streak that reached 8 games, their worst start in franchise history, and remained the only team in the league without a win before defeating the Miami Heat, followed by a Durant game-winner two days later to get past the Atlanta Hawks. The SuperSonics finished the month of November snapping a 6-game losing streak Before the win against the Pacers, the Sonics were 0–7 at home. Kevin Durant matched again his career-high 35 points in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks, one of their four victories at home that month. After a 2–3 road trip that ended with a loss against the Utah Jazz in which the Sonics were held to one of their lowest scoring outputs in the season, During the first games of the month, the team were without the services of their second best scorer Chris Wilcox and point guard Luke Ridnour, who were sidelined with injuries. The Sonics halted the streak by defeating the defending champions San Antonio Spurs and proceeded to win their next two games at home. After managing to win only 2 of their 16 games in January, the SuperSonics finished February with a 4–8 record and snapped an 8-game losing streak of road games with a victory against the Sacramento Kings, obtaining their first road win since mid-December. but would be sidelined for the remainder of the season after two more appearances. The SuperSonics reached the All-Star break with a 13–38 record, Rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green participated in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge against the second-year players. Near the trade deadline, the Sonics sent Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a 2009 second round draft pick. Barry was waived the next day. The Sonics made one more move before the deadline, that sent Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls. The Sonics finished the month of March with their worse record in the regular season, winning only two games, with losing streaks of 11 and 3 games. with a 116–168 score. It was the most points the Nuggets' scored since a January 11, 1984, game against the San Antonio Spurs. Nearing the end of the month, injuries plagued the roster. Mickaël Gelabale tore his ACL during a practice and was out for the remainder of the season. Chris Wilcox re-injured his pinky finger, an injury that ultimately made him miss the remainder of the season, and Nick Collison and Francisco Elson were also sidelined with other injuries. In April, the Sonics stretched their March losing streak to five games before winning in a double overtime match against the Denver Nuggets. After losing another three straight games, the Sonics played their last home game in Seattle, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 99–95 and closing the regular season with a road victory against the Golden State Warriors. The SuperSonics finished the season with a 20–62 overall record, their worst in franchise history. Standings Game log ==Relocation to Oklahoma City==

On September 21, 2007, majority owner Clay Bennett applied for arbitration by a federal judge on the issue of whether the team could break its lease on the KeyArena in 2008. Bennett initially set a deadline for October 31, 2007, for the City of Seattle to reach an agreement regarding a new facility, and two days past that date Bennett informed the NBA commissioner David Stern of his intentions to relocate the team to Oklahoma City. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a new offer on a KeyArena expansion on March. Ballmer proposed to pay half of the US$300 million required for the expansion and set an April 10, 2008, deadline for the City of Seattle to accept the offer. After the deal fell through, all hopes rested on the lawsuit set for June 2008. On April 13, 2008, the SuperSonics played their last game in Seattle, defeating the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 95-99. Heartbroken fans chanted "Save our Sonics" as the game ended. On April 18, the NBA Board of Governors approved the team's relocation to Oklahoma City by a 28–2 vote. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Paul Allen of the Portland Trail Blazers were the only ones against the move. On July 2, 2008, the City of Seattle and the Sonics' ownership reached a settlement that allowed the franchise to move to Oklahoma City. According to the settlement, Bennett and his group would pay $45 million immediately to the City to break the KeyArena lease, then an additional $30 million if Seattle failed to get a new team within five years. In addition, items associated with the SuperSonics' history in Seattle, including trophies, banners, and retired jerseys, stayed in the city and were placed in the Museum of History and Industry. ==Player statistics==

} || 1.000 || 2.0 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 1.0 • Statistics with the Seattle SuperSonics. ==Awards==

• Kevin Durant won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month Award for every month with the exception of February. At the end of the season, Durant was named Rookie of the Year and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team along Jeff Green. ==Injuries==

• Robert Swift missed the majority of the season after tearing his ACL the previous season. After playing in only 8 games, Swift underwent knee surgery on March to repair a torn lateral meniscus and was out for the remainder of the season. • Mickaël Gelabale tore his ACL during a team practice on March and was sidelined for the rest of the season. ==Transactions==

Overview • Sent during the regular season to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a 3-team trade that also involved the Chicago Bulls. • Later waived. • Thomas was later traded to the San Antonio Spurs. • Signed for the rest of the season after a 10-day contract. Trades == See also ==