Payton’s One Happy Sonic All-Star Guard Not Looking To Leave Seattle As A Free Agent

Gary Payton sounds like a free agent-to-be who intends to stay in Seattle.

“I’d rather be here than in New York getting all that hype or in Chicago,” the SuperSonics’ point guard said Monday. “I’m fine where I’m at.”

Payton is expected to be able to command between $8 million and $10 million a season in his next contract, either from the Sonics or a new club.

After winning the NBA defensive player of the year award during the regular season, Payton has been sensational defensively and offensively in the playoffs, leading the Sonics to a 3-1 lead over Utah in the Western Conference finals.

Game 5 between Seattle and Utah will be played here tonight.

Payton, 27, knows he’s not in the national spotlight in Seattle and that’s fine with him. He likes the lifestyle and the Sonics’ fans.

“You know, Seattle’s great,” he said. “I’d rather get the publicity just by going to the playoffs here.

“I don’t need to be in New York, where if you have a bad game they’re booing you and all that crap. I’d rather stay right here where the fans always support you. You can see me in the playoffs just like you’re doing now.”

In the Sonics’ 10-2 playoff run, a more mature and a more focused Payton is averaging 22 points, while shooting 49 percent (99 for 203) from the floor and 47 percent (26 for 61) from behind the 3-point line. He’s averaging 6.9 assists, 2.1 steals and 4.1 rebounds.

Payton fizzled in Seattle first-round playoff losses to Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers the past two seasons.

The rest of the NBA is finding out what Seattle’s fans have known for a long time, coach George Karl said.

“People haven’t given him the due that he’s earning in these playoffs,” Karl said. “I think Gary is proving to the league that he’s one of the top five players in the NBA. Gary Payton’s a great player, but he’s been a great player for two or three years.”

After leading the Sonics to a 3-1 first-round victory over Sacramento and a 4-0 sweep of two-time defending champion Houston, Payton is averaging 20.8 points against John Stockton and the Jazz. He’s shooting 47 percent (33 for 70), including 40 percent (8 for 20) from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, Payton has stymied Stockton, who is averaging 6.8 points and shooting 33 percent (12 for 36) in the series.

Never popular in the league among fans because of his trash talking and his arrogant manner on the court, Payton will become extremely popular with other NBA teams this summer when he becomes a free agent. Because of his age and talent, he will be one of the top free-agent catches.

The three-time All-Star from Oregon State knows his asking price is going up with each Sonics’ playoff victory. The further the Sonics go in the playoffs, the richer Payton will become.

“I think the market value of everybody on this team who is going to be a free agent has definitely gone up,” teammate Nate McMillan said Monday.

If Payton’s image or the public perception of him is changing in the playoffs, he says he doesn’t care.

“Gary’s the same person who he’s always been,” he said. “I’m very humble.

“I don’t care whether the people in the East have seen me or not. It’s not a big deal to me. If we go to the NBA Finals, then I’m just going to focus on trying to win the championship.”

Payton was the second player chosen in the 1990 draft. In his early years here, the Sonics were criticized by some of their fans for wasting such a high draft pick on him. Some fans didn’t like his jump shot and the way he conducted himself on the floor.

That’s changing.

“Everybody is going to give you a label,” Payton said. “They always call me a hot dog or whatever.”

The Sonics know they need to keep Payton and they’ve taken a step in the right direction by picking up the option year of Karl’s contract for next season. Payton has credited Karl with helping him become the league’s No. 1 defensive player.

The Sonics have said they’ll talk to Karl about a contract extension after the playoffs.