INSIDE ALLEN-PAYTON DEAL.

Byline: JOE STEVENS

On Wednesday, Ray Allen was in Los Angeles and looked as calm as can be. He chit-chatted about seeing Tiger Woods at Riviera Country Club and getting a chance to a play a few holes with him.

He also answered questions about the next day's NBA trade deadline, saying players don't worry about being traded.

``Because you can't control that,'' he said. ``Organizations say certain people are not tradeable, but everybody is tradeable because you're on the team.''

It didn't sound as though Allen thought he was among the tradeable. And at that point, he wasn't.

But one day later, a blockbuster deal materialized that sent him, journeyman Kevin Ollie, little-used rookie Ronald Murray and a conditional first-round pick to the Seattle SuperSonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason.

Analyzing the deal, it is difficult to see how either team lost with the move. But it is difficult to consider Seattle a winner because it failed this summer to extend the contract of the best player in franchise history. It forced them to seek a deal for Payton, who would have left as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Payton is among the most underrated players in NBA history. He has been on the all-defensive team nine times and, at 34, still might be the best point guard in the league.

As for the Bucks, they're doing one of two things.

One, they could be hoping to re-sign Payton after this season, though, as their roster stands, Milwaukee would have to dump a player - either Sam Cassell, Toni Kukoc or Michael Redd - to free up enough salary-cap room to do that. That will not be easy.

So, the trade might be a precursor to selling the team. The Bucks' owner, Sen. Herb Kohl, has said he is interested, a statement that traditionally signals it's time for a team to slash payroll; the Bucks would have owed Allen $28 million the next two seasons.

If that is the case, it's a surprise Kohl signed off on the deal because he and Allen have a strong relationship. Allen might play porous defense, but his nice-guy personality makes him an asset for any organization. In fact, that personality was one reason why he was considered ``not tradeable'' until Thursday morning.

Here's how it all went down:

Seattle has been shopping Payton all season knowing he'd be gone in the summer, but because of the numbers and looming labor issues, the Sonics were having no luck.

Salaries must match within 15 percent of traded players, and with Payton making $12.6 million, there were not many players, or groups of players, who matched up with him.

Plus, the players who did match typically weren't worth it. Even Portland, which had the most reasonable chance to get Payton and is loaded with talent, apparently didn't have anybody Seattle wanted.

On Wednesday, Bucks general manager Ernie Grunfeld called Sonics general manager Rick Sund, offering Cassell for Payton. Cassell wants out of Milwaukee, and the deal seemed reasonable: At least Seattle would get something.

But Sund played hardball, insisting on Allen for Payton, so talks stalled.

On Thursday morning, Grunfeld called back, agreeing to give up Allen if the Sonics included Mason. The Sonics countered by making the Bucks throw in a first-round draft pick, which would go to the Sonics unless Atlanta gets the No. 1, 2 or 3 selection in this summer's draft.

--Did West win? Another interesting trade sent Orlando's Mike Miller, Ryan Humphrey and a first-round pick (from Sacramento) to Memphis for Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek. Considering Memphis general manager Jerry West's expressed love for Gooden during summer-league play, the deal was more of a shock.

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