There has been a lot of speculation regarding Rashard and what the team does with him, so I am going to give you a best guess on what happens with him. His agent, Tony Dutt, says he wants the Sonics to make an offer on July 1 rather than waiting for another team to make an offer so they can match. Smart on Tony's part. So if I am the Sonics, here is what I do: Make Rashard a six-year, $80 million offer. That is a starting salary of $10.5 million, just above what he was scheduled to make this year anyway, and tell Dutt that if he can get a better offer from another team they would be willing to take a look at matching the starting salary of that offer. I get the $80 million -- if my math is correct -- from a starting salary of $10.5 mil with 10.5% percent raises ($1.1 mil) each year. The sixth year is key, because that will be the highest salary that Rashard will command in his career. After this contract, he likely will be signing two-year deals for the mid-level exception or less somewhere, playing out his career. So he needs to maximize this sixth year, the reason the Sonics have an advantage over every other team. If the Sonics play hardball and fail to negotiate with any other team in a sign-and-trade deal, and Rashard leaves via free agency for somewhere else, he is forgoing $16 million on the back end of this contract. Well, not quite $16 mil, because let's just say he will sign for the mid-level ($5 mil) somewhere after this contract is up. But still, he would be forgoing $11 million, which he does not want to do. As long as the Sonics offer that sixth year, I think Rashard is coming back. Also, conveniently, the $80 mil number is the same contract as Ray, so they can say he is being paid the same as Ray, which is what Rashard wants anyway. Granted, it is the same as Ray over one more season, but the total number is the same. Then, you figure, by the time Durant's rookie contract is up, Ray's will be expiring and you can give Durant the money that currently is alloted to Ray, assuming of course Durant is everything everybody expects.