The Seattle SuperSonics have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Robert Swift, Sonics' General Manager Sam Presti announced today.

In order to retain its right of first refusal on a restricted free agent, a team must tender a one-year qualifying offer to the player on or before June 30. Under the league?s collective bargaining agreement, Swift may sign an offer sheet with any team. If an offer sheet is signed, the Sonics will have seven days to exercise its right of first refusal and match the terms and conditions of the offer sheet.

The future of the SuperSonics' basketball franchise is in the hands of U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman who will decide if the team must honor its lease at Key Arena in Seattle or if they are free to flee for Oklahoma City, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting.

The judge said she will announce her ruling on the city of Seattle's lawsuit against the team's ownership group, the Professional Basketball Club, at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

In the meantime, no one knows if the team will be playing in Seattle or Oklahoma City next season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired the draft rights to forward Darnell Jackson from the Miami Heat in exchange for the lower of the Cavaliers' two second round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft.

In addition, Cleveland purchased the rights to center Sasha Kaun from the Seattle SuperSonics.

Jackson was selected with the 52nd overall pick by the Miami Heat while Kaun was selected with the 56th overall pick by the Seattle Sonics.  

Both Jackson and Kaun were four-year members of the Jayhawks and helped lead Kansas to the 2008 NCAA Championship and four straight Big 12 regular season titles.

The Seattle Sonics selected UCLA guard Russell Westbrook with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. With the team?s other first-round selection (24th overall), the Sonics selected Serge Ibaka from the Congo.

In a second-round trade, the Sonics selected Walter Sharpe from the University of Alabama-Birmingham with the 32nd pick and then traded Sharpe and the No. 46 overall pick (Trent Plaisted ? BYU) to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for D.J. White, who was selected No. 29 overall in the first round by the Pistons.

?We?re very happy with our draft tonight,? said Sonics General Manager Sam Presti. ?We feel that we have added players who will be a part of our foundation as we move forward. We?re confident Russell Westbrook?s skills will fit with what we?re building here. He is a defensive-minded player with a tremendous blend of talent and work ethic.?

?Serge is a player that we feel has tremendous potential. He brings energy and athleticism to the floor as well as the ability to stretch the defense as shooter.?

As a sophomore at UCLA, Westbrook was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, earned Third Team All Pac-10 honors, and was named to the league All-Defensive Team. After logging 1,318 minutes, Westbrook set UCLA?s single season record for minutes played. Westbrook led the team in assists (4.3 apg) while also ranking third in scoring (12.7 ppg). A Long Beach native, Westbrook graduated from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California.  

Ibaka grew up playing in his native Congo with the Avenir du Rail club. Last season competing in Spain, Ibaka averaged 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for C.B. L?Hospitalet LEB Gold.

White spent four collegiate seasons at the University of Indiana and averaged 14.6 points for the Hoosiers and earned Consensus Second Team All-America honors as a senior. He was also named Big Ten Player of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference honors from the media and league coaches.

?D.J. White is a blue collar player,? Presti said. ?He is a worker and someone that has had a tremendous college career.?

The Sonics completed their 2008 Draft by selecting Devon Hardin from the University of California with the No. 50 overall pick and Sasha Kaun from the University of Kansas at No. 56 overall. Hardin earned Honorable Mention All-PAC-10 honors as a sophomore and finished his collegiate career as Cal?s second all-time leading shot blocker with 132 blocked shots. The Sonics later traded Kaun to Cleveland for cash considerations.

Provided the Wolves take O.J. Mayo at No. 3, the Sonics and Clippers will swap picks, and Los Angeles will also send a protected pick in 2009.

If Mayo isn't drafted at 3, the deal is off according to two sources close to the information.

The Sonics would take Brook Lopez or Jerryd Bayless at No. 7.

Follow-up: ESPN is now reporting that Seattle is asking too much for the pick and that those talks are currently shelved.

Could Eric Gordon be off the draft board when the New York Knicks pick at position 6?

According to the New York Daily News, there is speculation that either Seattle, who is picking at 4, or Memphis, who is picking at 5, will select Gordon.

If the Knicks cannot trade up to take O.J. Mayo, it is believed that they will choose out of a group including Italian small forward Danilo Gallinari, Gordon, UCLA guard Russell Westbrook and Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless.

Some in the Knicks organization have Gallinari rated above Gordon.

Are the Miami Heat looking to trade away from the second overall pick because they are not sold on Michael Beasley, a consensus top two selection?

According to Chad Ford from ESPN.com, Miami president Pat Riley seems to be uncomfortable with Beasley's personality and seems dead set on finding a point guard to pair in the backcourt with Dwyane Wade.

Riley conducted two private workouts on Tuesday - one with Jerryd Bayless from Arizona, and the other with O.J. Mayo, which has received rave reviews of late.

In conjunction with the workouts, the Heat have been actively shopping the second pick in the draft with an eye on selecting Mayo or Bayless lower while acquiring another asset.

Even if no trade is made, Mayo says that he has been told by Riley that he is definitely a possibility to be selected with the second overall pick.

Seattle is trying to move forward Chris Wilcox while also attempting to move up to the No. 2 pick to take Michael Beasley, according to The New York Daily News.

Miami could decide to move down to the third spot to take O.J. Mayo, who has been working out with Dwyane Wade as of late. Unfortunately for the Sonics, they don't have much to offer the Heat.

An economic expert testified on Thursday that the Sonics support 1,200 to 1,300 jobs and are responsible for nearly $188 million in local activity in Seattle, according to The Associated Press.

"Once a dollar is spent, it's multiplied many times over by the goods and services it purchases in that economy," said Lon S. Hatamiya, a former Clinton administration official testifying as an economic expert for the city of Seattle.

Thursday marked the fourth day of a six-day, nonjury trial to determine whether the team must honor the final two years of its lease at KeyArena, the NBA's smallest venue.

Sonics' co-owner Clay Bennett admitted mistakes in dealing with the city of Seattle when he bought the team back in 2006, according to The Associated Press.

"We bought this team with grand visions for success," he said Wednesday. "Did we do everything right, and did we understand everything there was to understand? Certainly not."

Bennett began his second day on the witness stand in a federal trial over the team's lease at KeyArena but didn't specify his mistakes.