It’s always difficult to say goodbye to a great player, especially one who has meant so much to the franchise. But if you’re going to give up Gary Payton, you can’t do much better than getting Ray Allen in return. The 6-foot-5 Allen is one of the game’s premier shooting guards, an elite player whom the franchise can rebuild around. He is signed through 2005, and at age 27, he’s entering his prime. The Sonics give up a great prospect in Desmond Mason, but he plays the same position as Allen. Seattle also is now thin at point guard (with the trade of Kenny Anderson to New Orleans), but Kevin Ollie should be able to handle the role until the team can upgrade over the summer.
The Glove reuniting with George Karl in Milwaukee should be fun. Especially with Sam Cassell already at the point. Milwaukee must be hoping that Karl can harness that creative tension as he did so well all those years in Seattle. Seriously, the Bucks felt like they had to do something to shake up their lethargic team. With Payton and Mason joining a roster that already includes Cassell, Michael Redd, Tim Thomas, Toni Kukoc and Anthony Mason, they have some horses. Unfortunately, now they have only Joel Przybilla, Ervin Johnson and Dan Gadzuric in the middle. Also, Milwaukee must be able to re-sign Payton, 34, in the offseason or this trade will go down as a bust.
THE BOTTOM LINE by SI.com's Marty Burns
After almost a year of waiting, the Sonics finally got a player worth Payton’s value. As heartbreaking as it might be for Seattle fans, the Glove was unhappy about not being offered a contract extension and his relationship with management had soured beyond repair. Now the Sonics can get on with rebuilding, and Allen is a pretty good piece with which to start. They won’t have the salary-cap room now, but the Jason Kidd-to-Seattle thing was a longshot anyway. As for the Bucks, they can put the Big Three Era completely in the past and move on. Even if they re-sign Payton, they should get him at lesser cost than Allen. Meanwhile, they have a roster full of fleet athletes and shooters who should make things more exciting if nothing else. And, in a side benefit, they keep Payton from landing in the clutches of their Central Division rivals, the Pacers.
It’s always difficult to say goodbye to a great player, especially one who has meant so much to the franchise. But if you’re going to give up 
The Glove reuniting with George Karl in Milwaukee should be fun. Especially with 
