Desmond Mason answered the phone, his voice fighting through cell-phone static and baggage-claim clatter.

He had just landed in Miami, where he would play in Alonzo Mourning's charity game. Just one stop on a jet-set schedule for one of the NBA's highest fliers, known as much for his springs as his smile.

It may be the off-season, but Mason is still going coast to coast. Just part of a bigger transition game the past few months in which he has gone from a piece of the Sonics' future to a part of the Milwaukee Bucks' foundation.

This summer he has been between seasons, and between cities. He's living in Maple Valley, yet likely will begin discussing a contract extension with Milwaukee this month.

That makes this a swan song of a summer in Seattle, perhaps his final months in the city where he started his NBA career.

"It has been a little bit tough," Mason said. "We're probably going to put the house on the market. We're closing a chapter on our life, which is tough because we had a great time here and we loved our home."

But his future is in Milwaukee. There's the possibility of a contract extension, the probability of a starting role.