Scott Ready to Cash In On His Biggest Season

If agent Bob Woolf, who represents Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins, among others, has his way, Byron Scott will rival the Portland Trail Blazers’ Clyde Drexler as the highest-paid shooting guard in the National Basketball Assn.

Woolf plans to meet this morning with Laker General Manager Jerry West, with whom he already has had preliminary discussions, in hopes of nearing agreement on a new contract for Scott.

The Laker guard signed a one-year deal for $600,000 last fall and is eligible to become a free agent after this season, although the Lakers retain the right of first refusal should Scott sign an offer sheet with another team.

Woolf said he hopes the Lakers will offer a long-term deal similar to the 6-year, $8.75-million contract extension Drexler signed with the Trail Blazers during the All-Star break last February. Under the terms of his former contract, Drexler will be paid $430,000 next season, but the contract extension calls for him to be paid $1.7 million for 1989-90--$1 million in salary, $200,000 in deferred money and a $500,000 signing bonus. In succeeding seasons, Drexler will be paid $1.2 million, $1.2 million, $1.3 million, $1.3 million, and $1.2 million.

Scott, the Lakers’ leading scorer this season, has indicated that he would prefer to remain with the team. Woolf also pointed to the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, and predictions that the average salary in the league will be $900,000 by the early 1990s.

Scott had been represented by Leigh Steinberg. The Laker guard would become the Lakers’ fourth millionaire, joining Magic Johnson ($3.1 million), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ($3 million) and James Worthy ($1.3 million).

He would also surpass the 1988-89 salary of other top shooting guards such as Boston’s Danny Ainge ($675,000), Dallas’ Rolando Blackman ($541,736), Denver’s Fat Lever ($575,000), Phoenix’s Walter Davis ($750,000), Sacramento’s Derek Smith ($925,000) and Washington’s Jeff Malone ($816,666). Chicago’s Michael Jordan is scheduled to be paid $945,000 next season but reportedly is renegotiating his contract and will wind up in the Magic Johnson-salary range.