With one of the 3 picks coming to play next year, one likely staying in Europe, the other traded for two second round picks from the Griz (2006, 2007 nice move), the Sonics have a roster to fill.
Petro
Swift
Lewis
Collison
Fortson
Ridnour
Six guys.
Now in order of which I think will return (not value or what I necessarily want).
Ray Allen
Wilkins
Radmanovic
Evans
Potapenko (the bridge to the future Swift, no really)
Murray
James
Evan if they returned all of the free agents (fat chance) the league now has to average 14 players per team and I think that would include a rostered player playing in the NBDL. The Sonics will find at least one guy, sign him, place him on a NBDL team. Every team will do this but the Sonics have an advantage that many other teams just don't have. Damien Wilkins, Reggie Evans are both about to get more money and more chances to show what they can do next year thanks in part to the Sonics willingness to make the effort.
I'll guess that the phones are hot with calls to players not drafted to invite to Sonics summer league. I'll also guess that the people on the other end of those phones are listening and thinking that the team calling them has given undrafted players a real shot at showing what they have and possibly a roster spot.
I think it is likely that James and Murray are gone, possibly Evans prices himself off the roster. Now you go from signing one guy for NBDL to 3 guys for the end of your bench and one in NBDL. Now, you are not filling your bench with undrafted players from the 2005 draft (please, no) but you are spending cap money for a few vets that are either free agents or about to be waived by their team.
As much as I don't like many of the soon to be waived players there are some interesting vets that could be had.
Check out the write up by Kevin Pelton
Notebook: Attention Shifts to Summer League
"It's already started," Pendergraft said of the process of putting together roster. "I'm begging. Now it's recruiting. The summer league is all about Robert (Swift) and (first-round pick) Johan (Petro) and Damien (Wilkins). That's what the summer league is.