Chris Wilcox took advantage of his chance to start on a regular basis in Seattle, and the SuperSonics rewarded him for his strong play.

Seattle SuperSonics' Chris Wilcox talks to reporters Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006 in Seattle after the NBA basketball team announced that they had signed Wilcox to a three-year contract. In 29 games with the SuperSonics last season after being traded by the Los Angeles Clippers, Wilcox put up career-high statistics and was a fan favorite with his up-tempo playing style. [AP]

Wilcox and the Sonics reached agreement Tuesday on a three-year, $24 million deal that gives Wilcox a chance to prove his impressive 29 games with Seattle last season was no fluke.

The deal also gives Seattle a reasonable measure of security should Wilcox not develop into the star his agent believes, and the Sonics hope he becomes.

Wilcox's agent, Jeff Fried, said it was a "win-win deal" all around, and Sonics officials agreed.

"It's safe to say it's a contract that is good for Chris and good for the Sonics. It's a three-year deal, which I think is good for both sides," Sonics' general manager Rick Sund said.

The 6-foot-10, athletic Wilcox was a restricted free agent and could have decided to sign a one-year deal with the Sonics, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer. Instead, Fried and Sund battled through some contentious, sometimes frustrating negotiations, and an ownership change to reach a compromise, and keep Wilcox in a system that meshed well with his style.

"He's in a system that will give him the ability to shine with his talent set," Fried said.

Wilcox was traded to Seattle on Feb. 14 from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for forward Vladimir Radmanovic.

Wilcox delighted Seattle fans with his athletic play and thunderous dunks that meshed well with the Sonics' uptempo style. He averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, shot 59 percent and averaged 30 minutes, all career highs. His most impressive performance came on April 4, when Wilcox had 26 points and 24 rebounds in a victory over Houston. It was the first 20-20 by a Sonics player in more than 10 years.

Now, Sonics' fans will get three more seasons of Wilcox, who hopes to cash in on a big payday when the new contract expires, just before his 27th birthday.

"After three years, if Chris progresses to the superstar level, we feel comfortable about the salary situation to compensate him and his superstar status," Fried said.

Wilcox, who turns 24 on Sept. 3, was taken with the No. 8 pick in the 2002 draft after his sophomore season at Maryland. He never found a role with the Clippers, especially playing behind All-Star forward Elton Brand.

Wilcox averaged only 4.5 points in 48 games with the Clippers before the trade.

"I was frustrated a lot," Wilcox said of his time in Los Angeles. "It was tough. It pushed my confidence level down because I wasn't playing."

The negotiations between Fried and Sund was made more complicated by the July 18 sale of the Sonics to a group led by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett.

But the sides appeared to reach a mutual understanding late last week during face-to-face negotiations. Fried was asking for three years and $24 million, while the Sonics were in the range of three years for $19 million. Fried also presented a number of sign-and-trade possibilities to the Sonics, but the team didn't follow up on those.

Sund said the new ownership group didn't have much impact on the decision to sign Wilcox since the sale of the franchise doesn't close until October.

Coach Bob Hill was extremely pleased to get Wilcox back in the fold.

"Oh, this is significant. ... As good as he was last season, I think he can be better," Hill said. "He's got the potential to be an All-Star. The way he runs and jumps, he does that so well for a guy his size ... but I need to get him to do more."