WELL IS DRYING FOR WILLIAMS : CENTER, CLIPPERS CAN'T COME TO TERMS.

Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer

The Clippers media guide won't be released until the very last day of the NBA deadline. There's an omission.

On the verge of their most promising season since making the playoffs in 1991-92, the Los Angeles Clippers are starting training camp today in Santa Barbara without one of their most productive players last season.

He is free agent Brian Williams, a 6-foot-10 center who eclipsed career highs last season in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.6). He remains unsigned. The Clippers and his agent Fred Slaughter are far apart in negotiations, and it doesn't look promising.

The problem is money.

``We have offered him more than any team has offered him,'' Clippers executive vice president Andy Roeser said. ``If that's not enough, then I understand. That's Brian's decision.''

The Clippers had offered Williams a three-year, $12 million deal, then dropped it to two years, $8 million, according to Slaughter. A year ago, $4 million per season might have suited Williams. But the NBA's most expensive free-agent summer changed everything.

Since the negotiations began, Williams has declined to comment.

Slaughter wants the Clippers - especially since they are not restrained by a salary cap - to give Williams what he considers his market value.

Sources say Slaughter asked for $100 million over seven years to begin negotiations. Slaughter scoffs at that assessment.

``Isn't that what Juwan Howard makes?'' Slaughter asked. ``I would never ask for that. I wouldn't ask for Juwan Howard money.''

Slaughter said that he started the negotiations with a figure of $60 million to $65 million over seven years. The Clippers said they couldn't afford to pay Williams that amount of money. So Williams and Slaughter decided to wait for a better deal.

There was a lucrative offer from the Seattle SuperSonics - seven years, $35 million. Since it was early in the summer and his market value had not been set, Williams rejected the deal.

``It's Brian's decision,'' Slaughter said. ``The Clippers want a brand new Mercedes Benz for $9,000, and think that they're right. Since the middle of the summer and now, they haven't increased their offer.''

Roeser's correct. The Clippers offer of $4 million per season is probably more than any other club could offer him - now - because most teams have reached their salary cap. Williams has received five other offers. Two of those - the Sonics and the Toronto Raptors - were higher than $4 million, Slaughter said.

A high-ranking Toronto official confirmed it did make Williams an offer, but the contract would have been back-loaded since the expansion team only has 75 percent of the salary cap for the 1996-97 season.

The Miami Heat offered Williams the remaining $1.8 million left under their cap.

When Williams turned those down, the clubs spent their monies on other free agents, drying up the market. A key component is the contract of Jim McIlvaine, who signed with the Sonics for the same money Williams turned down. McIlvaine has great potential as a defensive center but averaged 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game with the Bullets last season.

Slaughter looked at that deal, then the seven-year, $49-million deal signed by the Lakers' Elden Campbell, who has numbers comparable to Williams, and his market value was set.

``The Lakers, Heat and the Knicks do things to win, they sign their free agents,'' Slaughter said. ``How much does Brian mean to the Clippers? How much do they want to win? I don't know.''

With sagging attendance for years at the Sports Arena, the Clippers might not be financially willing to sign Williams for a market-value type of deal. However, after players like Howard, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal signed such large contracts, the market disintegrated quickly. Veteran Walt Williams signed with Toronto for the minimum salary of $247,500, knowing his compensation as a free agent next year from the Raptors would be more than if he signed with another club.

Slaughter points to the history the Clippers have had with signing free agents. Both Danny Manning and Ken Norman left after failing to agree to a long-term deal with the team.

The $4 million deal would make Williams among the team's highest-paid players. And the question has arisen whether the club would take a chance on a long-term deal with Williams, who has been with three NBA teams in five seasons and sat out a portion of the 1992-93 season with depression. But Roeser said the Clippers want to sign Williams.

``Perhaps some players get unrealistic expectations based on what someone else has done,'' Roeser said. `We wouldn't have expressed the interest if we weren't interested in him.''

Williams probably estimated his market value correctly early in the summer. But the Clippers and Slaughter fully realize that unless another team makes a deal to clear cap room, the Clippers are the only club that could offer him near the money Williams desires.

With camp beginning today, the Clippers would like to have their entire squad to prepare for what could be a winning season. However, with the oft-injured Stanley Roberts slated to start at center and recently signed Dwayne Schintzius to back him up, the team is questionable in the middle.

Williams would help.

Roeser didn't leave out the possibility of offering Williams a one-year deal, then leaving options open for the future.

``Brian is ready to go to camp,'' Slaughter said. ``But my client has his youth and the right to decide what contractual situation he wants. That's his right.''

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Photo: Brian Williams has been marketed across the NBA buthasn't bit on any offers. His best offer now may still come from the Clippers.

Daily News File Photo