Yahoo Sports
October 6, 2005
SEATTLE - The Seattle SuperSonics on Thursday exercised the 2006-07 contract options on guard Luke Ridnour and forward Nick Collison.
Terms were not disclosed. However, as 2003 first-round picks, the option years are worth $2.425 million to Ridnour and $2.5 million to Collison under the rookie salary scale.
Both players appeared in all 82 games last season, helping the SuperSonics win the Northwest Division title and their first playoff series in seven years.
"We're very excited about the futures of both these young men," Sonics general manager Rick Sund said. "For Nick and Luke, team success has always been their top priority and they continue to use their individual talents to make their teammates better."
Ridnour averaged 10.0 points and 5.9 assists last season, his second in the NBA. He was sixth in the league in free-throw shooting at 88 percent.
Collison averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field last season. He technically was a rookie after missing the entire 2003-04 campaign with an injury.
Both players are expected to be bigger contributors this season. The Sonics allowed center Jerome James and guard Antonio Daniels to leave via free agency, creating more minutes for Collison and Ridnour.
"It's great for the Sonics and great for me because I get to coach them," Sonics coach Bob Weiss said. "I see bright futures for both of these players. They're both hard workers, they're talented and have a real feel for the game."