With the hiring of new head coach P. J. Carlesimo as replacement of Bob Hill, who was fired at the end of the previous season,[1] the SuperSonics finished in 15th and last place in the Western Conference with a franchise worst 20–62 record.
As of 2023, the only remaining Sonics in the NBA are Jeff Green of the Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, after Nick Collison retired in 2018.
Collison was also the last remaining player on the Thunder roster who previously played for the Sonics team, with Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka being drafted under the SuperSonics name in 2008 before moving to Oklahoma City.
Following Bob Hill and Rick Sund's departures as head coach and general manager respectively,[1] President of Basketball Operations Lenny Wilkens was charged with the responsibility of finding replacements.
Roster Last transaction: April 26, 2008 Kevin Durant and Jeff Green's regular season debuts were in doubt, since each player had to deal with sprained ankle injuries during the pre-season.
[21] The SuperSonics finished the month of November snapping a 6-game losing streak[19] with their first home victory in a game against the Indiana Pacers, with Durant scoring a career-high 35 points.
[19] The Sonics registered their best record of the season in December,[19] struggling with injuries to Luke Ridnour, Delonte West and Kurt Thomas adding to the absence of center Robert Swift.
After a 2–3 road trip that ended with a loss against the Utah Jazz in which the Sonics were held to one of their lowest scoring outputs in the season,[19] the team returned to the KeyArena to close the year with a 5-game homestand.
[32] Near the trade deadline, the Sonics sent Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a 2009 second round draft pick.
[34] The Sonics made one more move before the deadline, that sent Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls.
On September 21, 2007, majority owner Clay Bennett applied for arbitration by a federal judge on the issue of whether the team could break its lease on the KeyArena in 2008.
Ballmer proposed to pay half of the US$300 million required for the expansion and set an April 10, 2008, deadline for the City of Seattle to accept the offer.