You didn't really think it would be a dull off-season, did you? Not with Howard Schultz and Frank Hughes around. . . .

Okay, I confess, I was amongst those who was thinking that we'd see little done this summer aside from a new contract for Rashard Lewis, and weeks that passed with virtually no Sonic news whatsoever surely did not dissuade me from that viewpoint.

But last Tuesday morning, the quiet Seattle summer was shattered by rumors that did not involve a move on the court, but instead one off of it. The Tacoma News-Tribune's Hughes broke the possibility that Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the former Laker great who was recently selected for basketball's Hall of Fame and is currently a part owner of the Lakers, might be interested in buying into the Seattle Supersonics. Needless to say, the article also revealed, Howard Schultz -- a long- time Johnson friend who has partnered with him on several Starbucks shops -- was excited about the possibility of adding one of the NBA's most recognizable personas and one of the few players who can go by simply one name to his ownership group.

It all sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? A long-time archrival of the Sonics (it was a then-rookie Johnson's Lakers who ended Seattle's hopes of repeating in 1980, and he also led Los Angeles to a victory the next time the Sonics made the Western Conference Finals, a stunning 1987 run) joins the team's management group, brings the insight of multiple championships and a successful business career, and flashes his mega-watt smile for both the media and potential free agent acquisitions. Sonics win the championship; Johnson and team live happily ever after.

Well, maybe it sounds too good to be true because it is too good to be true.

Some fans immediately latched onto the rumor, making it sound as if Johnson's bags were packed for the move to Seattle. Not so fast. Key passages in Hughes' article were overlooked in the jump to conclusions. Take, for instance, this one: "Both Schultz and Johnson said they have not had substantive discussions about Johnson joining the organization, only talks along the lines of 'what if.'"

The next day, the Seattle Times' Nunyo Demasio -- who has a reputation (at least to me) for generally sticking with the facts and avoiding speculation -- sounded a more pessimistic tone on the Johnson situation. Demasio noted the possible difficulty of selling Johnson's share of the Lakers to majority owner Jerry Buss or another interested party, along with the fact that Johnson has previously publicly contemplated several future plans besides buying into the Sonics. In March, Johnson was quoted by the New York Post as saying, "To leave the Lakers, you'd have to leave them for another great franchise. [The Knicks' GM job] would have to be the only situation that I would probably leave the Lakers for."

What fans already picturing Johnson in Seattle green-and-gold instead of his familiar purple-and gold heard were NBA commissioner David Stern's comments published the same day. "We've had minority owners on one team dispose of their assets on one team to buy another one," Stern was quoted as saying during a press conference at the NBA Finals.

Okay, that's one obstacle out of the way. I'll give you that one.

What about Johnson selling his current 5% stake in the Lakers? It's not unprecedented; per league rules, Johnson had to temporarily divest from the team in order to return as a player during the 1995-96 season. Of course, in that case, Johnson was really increasing his participation in the organization. If you're Dr. Buss, would you want Johnson to leave the organization -- especially for a division rival? I'm somehow doubting that's his dream scenario . . . so a certain reluctance to close a deal would not surprise me in the least.

Looking at this from Magic Johnson's perspective, his motivation for coming to Seattle -- save for his friendship with Schultz -- is difficult to identify. In the initial article, Schultz was quoted as saying, "From time to time, he has mentioned the interest he would have in having a more active role with another team. He can't have that with the Lakers because of their infrastructure and because of Phil Jackson's role." It's tough to imagine that Johnson could have a much bigger role in a now-crowded Seattle front office. Wally Walker is not going anywhere. As I've written in the past, "You can fire the GM, but you can't fire the owner." And Demasio's article made an interesting revelation about Walker's role within the organization that we fans had not previously heard officially, even if we might have guessed it: ". . . [T]he Basketball Club of Seattle . . . is set up so Walker wields great influence. Walker owns 10 percent of the club and became CEO last year when he named Rick Sund as GM." Then there's Rick Sund, who has the title Johnson might desire -- General Manger. After one season at the helm, Sund is going nowhere, Johnson or no. But even behind these two stand several others with influence behind closed doors -- Billy McKinney, who has credentials befitting a GM even if he currently is keeping himself busy as the Sonics' color commentator and the Seattle Storm's President; David Pendergraft, promoted last season from scout to director of player personnel; and Rich Cho, the team's up-and-coming assistant GM.

Will Johnson really be able to have more influence amongst this group -- which, with the exception of Sund, have all paid their dues within the organization for a number of years -- than he has had with the Lakers; GM Mitch Kupchak and coach Phil Jackson?

Here's a line of thinking that does make sense to me. The Lakers are, to steal a movie title from one of their famous fans, "As good as it gets". After winning three straight championships, Los Angeles has little room to improve -- on-the-court, or in terms of franchise value. The Sonics, meanwhile, have a fanbase which would be ecstatic to get to the second round, and their value could be on the rise IF (note capitalization) their young talent develops and they can get the new arena Schultz seems to lust after.

Now that might be an impetus to leave -- but enough for Johnson to leave the only franchise he's ever been a part of and one of the country's power cities? Not as I see it.

We've taken Johnson's perspective; what about the Sonics' thinking? Is there really anything negative that can come of having Johnson associated with the team? About the only thing I can think of is if there was some sort of power play between Johnson and Walker (of course, if Johnson won, I know some Sonics fans who would consider that a benefit . . . but not me) that reflected poorly on the entire organization. The potential benefits are far more numerous. As a player, coach (if only briefly), and member of the Laker front office (if only in a consulting position), Johnson has seen it all as it comes to the NBA. His experience, knowledge, and mind would clearly all be assets behind closed doors.

But Johnson's benefit in public is probably greater. Johnson can definitely improve the image of the Sonic ownership in public. If in the future the team attempts to get a new stadium, Johnson would be invaluable. As for the nearer future, he should be able to help the team in its possible effort to do something it has never done before -- lure a big-name free agent to Seattle. Johnson acknowledged this possibility to Hughes, saying, "I know talent, I know guys, I know that wherever I end up, I know the players already, I know that I could persuade them to come wherever I am going to be."

And who better for Johnson to recruit than current New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd, who idolized him while growing up in Oakland. Johnson addressed this too, saying, "Howard has a relationship with him. I have a strong relationship. That's how you have to do it." (Strange that again a Hughes article would reference the Sonics pursuing Kidd; he has repeatedly mentioned it while the other beat writers have barely acknowledged the rumor's existence.)

Adding Johnson would also be a way for the Sonics to increase interest in the team during a summer where they likely won't have a first-round draft pick or a key free agent acquisition to show off to fans. While the effect of this on ticket sales might be minimal, any little bit counts for a team that has seen declining attendance in recent years.

The potential benefits of adding Johnson, as I see them, clearly outweigh any potential problems created by his addition to the franchise. This is not a tough decision, like whether to give Gary Payton an extension. If Johnson's interested, this is a no-brainer.

But I'm not convinced by a few nicely-placed quotes that Johnson is anywhere close to ready to commit to such a drastic life change. I would never be so presumptuous as to say that it won't happen, but I am not expecting it.

Sorry . . . I'm not a kid, and I don't believe in Magic.