[1] During the off-season, the Sonics acquired Kenny Anderson and Vitaly Potapenko from the Boston Celtics.
[5] At midseason, before the trading deadline, the team traded All-Star point guard Gary Payton and Desmond Mason to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen.
[6][7][8] More changes continued as Anderson was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Elden Campbell.
[9][10] Payton also represented the Western Conference for the final time in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game.
[11] The Sonics, now led by the newly acquired Allen, finished the season fifth in the Pacific Division with a 40–42 record, missing the playoffs.