No lottery luck for Sonics

The lottery luck that pushed the Sonics near the top of last year's draft and produced rookie of the year Kevin Durant turned sour on Tuesday.

Dreams of drafting Memphis guard Derrick Rose or Kansas State forward Michael Beasley were dashed when NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver read the results in reverse order at the league's entertainment studio in Secaucus, N.J.

The Sonics, who finished with the NBA's second-worst record, had a 38.9 percent chance of landing one of the top two picks. This time, however, fortune smiled on the Chicago Bulls, who rose from ninth in the lottery to the top spot in the June 26 draft.

Seattle fell to No. 4 behind the Miami Heat, which will select second, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So say goodbye to Rose and Beasley and say hello to Jerryd Bayless.

The 6-foot-3 Arizona freshman, touted as the second-best point guard in the draft, is among a handful of second-tier prospects who will draw serious consideration from the Sonics.

Others include Stanford 7-foot center Brook Lopez, who will likely be taken by Minnesota, USC guard O.J. Mayo, Indiana guard Eric Gordon and Italian League forward Danilo Gallinari.

"Everybody goes into the lottery with hopes of getting the No. 1 pick, but we're excited to have the fourth pick because we feel like we can get a quality player there," general manager Sam Presti said. "We'll get someone that can help and continue to build on the foundation that we have in place."

Several draft Web sites believe the Sonics will select Bayless, a shoot-first point guard who averaged 19.7 points, 4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 3 turnovers in 30 games.

"He's is an explosive scorer and he is a relentless competitor," said Washington Huskies assistant coach Cameron Dollar. "Every possession, he puts so much heat on you that it required everything we had to hold him down and contain him."

Bayless scored 48 points in two games against the Huskies.

What sets him apart from Mayo and Gordon is his ability to score, dribble into the lane and draw fouls. He connected on 18 of 20 free throws against Houston and had a six-game stretch in the Pac-10 during which he attempted at least eight free throws each game.

"He's very aggressive and very competitive with the right type of edge," Dollar said. "He was the most difficult guy for us to prepare for in the Pac-10 season because of his ability to get to the free-throw line and his ability to take guys off of the bounce. He can shoot it with deep range and defensively he can get down and get after it as well.

"He has the whole package."

During a short interview from New Jersey, Presti declined to specifically discuss prospects or what areas he hopes to address on a squad that finished 20-62 last season.

He said the Sonics are open to shopping the fourth pick. Seattle also has the No. 24 pick, four picks in the second round and a combined four first-round selections in the next two drafts.

"With that many selections in the draft, we're certainly going to be busy," Presti said. "The phone will probably ring a few times on draft night. We're going to use those assets as ways to try to build our team and build on the foundation that we have in place."

A Western Conference executive said Tuesday a handful of teams are interested in moving up in the draft to select Mayo and would likely call Presti inquiring about a trade.

The embattled guard, who faces allegations of accepting $30,000 from an agent last season, could be a poor fit for the Sonics. Since Presti arrived last year, the team has placed a high emphasis on rebuilding with high-character, low-maintenance players.

"I'm confident that we'll add another talented player, so we're excited," Presti said.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com