A year ago during Clippers media day, there was talk about how the franchise had become a playoff contender.

At their media day Monday, talk of the playoffs was not emphasized. Instead, the focus was on how this year's team is different from last season's and that it's time for a fresh start.

"It's a new year," Corey Maggette said. "A new year is about new things. There are a lot of new things going on, and hopefully, we'll be able to go out there and do what we're supposed to do on the floor and get it done."

Perhaps what contributed to the gloom of last season was that the Clippers were expected to make the playoffs, or at least fight for a playoff berth.

With Mike Dunleavy and his staff taking over coaching duties and with Elton Brand and Maggette signing six-year deals, there are obvious differences this year. There were visual differences at media day, too. The jerseys players wore made it look as if the team were trying to forget last season.

Lamar Odom's No. 7 has been taken by free-agent guard Marcus Hatten, and Michael Olowokandi's No. 34 now is worn by free-agent center Josh Moore. Andre Miller's No. 24 has gone to Tremaine Fowlkes, and Darius Miles' No. 21 from two seasons ago is Bobby Simmons'.

The numbers may be different, but the question remains if last year's final number -- 27 victories -- will be different.

The Seattle SuperSonics traded center Predrag Drobnjak, who had gone unsigned all summer as a restricted free agent, to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday for a future second-round draft choice.

Drobnjak, 6-foot-11 and 272 pounds, averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 82 games last season for Seattle. He was the Sonics' starting center for most of the season.

Drobnjak received little interest on the free agent market, and the teams worked out a sign-and-trade deal that prevented Drobnjak from waiting 15 days to see whether Seattle would match an offer sheet from the Clippers.

``This way he can start with the Clippers immediately,'' Sonics spokesman Mark Moquin said.

The Sonics have three other centers _ Jerome James, Calvin Booth and Vitaly Potapenko, while the Clippers lost starting center Michael Olowokandi as a free agent when he signed with Minnesota.

During the offseason, the 27-year-old Drobnjak was a teammate of Clippers' guard Marko Jaric on the Serbia and Montenegro team that participated in the European Championship. He was also a member of the Yugoslavian National Team that won the gold medal at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis.

A native of Yugoslavia, he was acquired by Seattle from the Washington Wizards in 2001. The Wizards had chosen him in the second round of the 1997 draft.

Barring any last-minute snags, the Clippers today will complete a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics to acquire center Predrag Drobnjak for a future second-round draft pick.

Drobnjak, a restricted free agent, averaged 9.4 points last season.

The Clippers are expected to sign him to a four-year contract at an average of $2.5 million per year.

The Clippers considered signing him to an offer sheet in the summer until the opportunity for a sign-and-trade arose. With last year's starting center, Michael Olowokandi, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers are not set at that position.

Along with the 6-foot-11 Drobnjak, the Clippers have 15-year veteran Olden Polynice, second-year player Melvin Ely and rookie Chris Kaman, taken sixth overall in this year's NBA draft.

Drobnjak is not a classic low-post center but is a good perimeter shooter. Although it is not likely that Drobnjak would be the starting center, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said he envisions him in the regular rotation.

"He has good mobility and is a good outside shooter," Dunleavy said after the team's first training-camp workout Saturday.

Forward Reggie Evans signed a contract on Friday night, about 12 hours before the Sonics' first practice of the season.

He agreed to a two-year deal guaranteed to total more than $1 million.

There was still no announcement on Saturday regarding center Predrag Drobnjak, the team's other restricted free agent.

He had reached an agreement in principle with the Los Angeles Clippers, who were discussing a sign-and-trade deal with the Sonics. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said a sign-and-trade agreement had been agreed to in principle late Saturday, but not officially consummated.

The agreement is thought to be for a future second-round draft pick, but a final decision won't be known until Sunday.

If no sign-and-trade agreement is reached, Drobnjak will sign an offer sheet with the Clippers. That would be delivered to the Sonics on Monday, and Seattle would then have 15 days to decide whether to match and retain Drobnjak.

Drobnjak has remained in Los Angeles and could start working out with the Clippers this weekend if a deal is made.

Drobnjak played the past two seasons with Seattle, and averaged 9.4 points and started 69 games in 2002-'03, most of any center on the team.

The Clippers' agreement with Drobnjak is thought to be a four-year contract with a starting salary at more than $2 million.

Stephen Jackson, so I'm told, failed to show up for a scheduled Clipper audition late last week, claiming his flight from Texas to L.A. (he took a later one) had been canceled. That was later discovered to be untrue. Then the 6-8 swingman left town early the next morning before coach Mike Dunleavy could eyeball him on the floor. Why the flagrant irresponsibility? Surely the Hawks must be offering more money, more years, more minutes, more something. Well, it's certainly not more money or years. The most Jackson can pocket in Atlanta is $1M for 2003-04, whereas the Clips were offering the Spurs free agent $2.5M per for two, but no longer. "We've decided to go in a new direction," underlined an L.A. official.

A year ago, the feeling among Clippers fans was that the team finally had compiled a solid roster that could reach the playoffs. On paper, the starters looked competitive with the NBA's better teams, and it was believed the Clippers no longer would be the laughingstock of professional sports.

That optimism lasted about a month into the season, before the team stumbled down an ugly path that led to a 27-55 record.

As a result, the Clippers begin training camp today with a more realistic approach, one that has new coach Mike Dunleavy trying to turn a team that lost Michael Olowokandi, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller and Eric Piatkowski into a winner.

"I look at the way everybody else looks at it, too," Dunleavy said. "I can figure out that we lost 60 percent of our starting lineup and a shooter."

Dunleavy won't sugarcoat his team's problems.

"We have a couple gaping holes, one at the 5 (center) and one at the 3 (small forward)," Dunleavy said. "Those are the holes, and we still have some question marks.

"The biggest question mark I'd say is at the point-guard position, but I'm ready to go to war with the guys that we have, Keyon Dooling and Marko Jaric. Basically, we need to find out what they can do."

Predrag Drobnjak -- the Sonics' free-agent center -- is on the verge of an agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers for what is believed to be a four-year contract.

Since Drobnjak is a restricted free agent, finalizing financial terms isn't the finish line, though.

The next step is an either-or proposition. Either Drobnjak signs an offer sheet or a sign-and-trade could be created between the two teams. If it comes to signing an offer sheet, Drobnjak must wait 15 days to see if the Sonics will match the terms, thereby retaining him. Under a sign-and-trade agreement, the Sonics would receive some compensation for allowing Drobnjak to join the Clippers immediately.

Sonics general manager Rick Sund hadn't been notified of a finalized agreement when contacted yesterday, and he kept a poker face with regard to the team's intentions.

"His agent, David Bauman, has done a great job keeping us abreast of everything that is being discussed," Sund said. "Peja has indicated maybe he would rather go to a place where he could get more playing time, and we'll have to decide what course is best as we continue to talk to David."

The Sonics have committed $15 million in salary for centers Jerome James, Calvin Booth and Vitaly Potapenko this season. Retaining Drobnjak would add $3 million. That's believed to be the range of the starting salary the Clippers are offering when bonuses are included.

If the teams reach a sign-and-trade arrangement, it would negate the 15-day waiting period. The Sonics are thought to be seeking a second-round pick as compensation from the Clippers since Seattle gave up a second-round pick to acquire Drobnjak from the Washington Wizards in 2001. Bauman has refused comment on negotiation.

If no sign-and-trade is reached, Drobnjak would sign an offer sheet, then wait 15 days to see if the Sonics would match. The clock on that 15 days won't start until the Sonics are delivered a copy of the offer sheet. It can't be faxed.

That means Drobnjak would miss much of training camp, which begins tomorrow for the Sonics and Clippers when players with fewer than four seasons of NBA experience begin practicing.

In another sign that they are trying to make themselves more competitive, the Clippers have spoken with Anschutz Entertainment Group about developing a basketball practice facility at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Owner Donald Sterling's team, which in recent months hired a high-profile coach in Mike Dunleavy and signed key players Elton Brand and Corey Maggette to long-term contracts, also has talked with officials at other potential sites and hopes to have a deal finalized before the end of the upcoming season.

"Though no new development is imminent, we have had several conversations on multiple fronts," Clipper executive vice president Andy Roeser said Thursday in a statement released by the team. "We think our current situation is certainly sufficient for now, but going forward it is our intent to ultimately upgrade our practice-facility arrangement."

The Clippers, who open training camp Saturday at L.A. Southwest College, are among a handful of NBA teams without their own practice facility.

They have practiced at Southwest since 2000, when the Lakers vacated the campus gym and moved to HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo, which was built by AEG at a cost of $24 million and also houses the Kings' facilities.

Chris Kaman, the Clippers' first-round pick in the June NBA, draft will be out indefinitely because of a herniated disk in his lower back.

Clippers trainer Jasen Powell said Kaman originally suffered the injury in a weight-training session before the draft. Since being drafted by the Clippers, Kaman has undergone a rehabilitation program that focuses on flexibility and stretching.

"Depending on how he progresses with his exercises and conditioning will determine when he will be back," Powell said. "I don't want to put a timetable on it."

The Clippers open training camp Saturday, and Powell said Kaman will be limited to specific drills in addition to his prescribed rehab program. Kaman, a 7-foot center, was picked sixth overall in the draft after his junior season at Central Michigan. He averaged 22.3 points, 12 rebounds and 3.2 blocks last season.

Team physician Tony Daly said Kaman's back should recover through rehabilitation and will not require surgery.

The Seattle Supersonics Sonics still are waiting to hear whether players Reggie Evans and Predrag Drobnjak will accept the offers the Sonics made earlier this summer.

Evans, an undrafted rookie last season, is thought to have been offered a guaranteed two-year deal worth close to $1.5 million.

Evans' agent still is shopping the 6-foot-8 forward around the league, hoping a team will make him a better offer. However, since the Sonics can match any offer, it is unlikely another team would waste its time.

Rick Sund said that if Evans does not accept their offer and report to camp, the Sonics may reconsider their offer. One of the possibilities is that the Sonics could make the contract non-guaranteed.

Drobnjak, meanwhile, has been having discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers, and his agent - who also represents Radmanovic and Potapenko - also would like to secure a deal from another team rather than accept the Sonics' qualifying offer of almost $800,000.

If Drobnjak is able to get a salary considerably larger than what Seattle is offering, the Sonics likely would let him go. Or, Sund said, the Sonics are willing to entertain discussions for a sign-and-trade deal if the Clippers want to go that route. If Drobnjnak gets an offer for close to what Seattle is offering, the Sonics likely would match it and bring him back.

Sund said that if neither Evans nor Drobnjak returns, the Sonics likely would have to sign another free agent to fill out their frontcourt.