[1] In the off-season, the SuperSonics acquired All-Star forward Vin Baker from the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade.
[2][3][4][5][6] The team also re-acquired former Sonics star and sharp shooter Dale Ellis from the Denver Nuggets,[7][8][9] and signed free agents Jerome Kersey,[10][11] and Greg Anthony.
[12][13] The SuperSonics got off to a fast start with a 13–3 record after a 7-game winning streak in November, despite losing Kersey to a stress fracture in his left foot as he only played just 37 games.
[26][27] In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the SuperSonics struggled as they trailed 2–1 to the 7th-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves,[31][32][33] but managed to win the series in five games.
[41][42][43][44] Two weeks after their elimination, Karl was fired as head coach in late May,[45][46][47][48] then was hired three months later by the Milwaukee Bucks,[49][50][51] while long-time Sonics guard Nate McMillan retired after only playing just 18 games this season due to knee surgery.