Clippers Give Up on Benjamin : Pro basketball: A day after he says he will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, they trade him to Seattle for Polynice and two draft choices.

The Clippers finally addressed their long-pondered Benoit Benjamin problem Wednesday. They traded him to the Seattle SuperSonics for Olden Polynice and two first-round draft choices.

Their other major problem, the addition of a point guard, might be the next move.

Not long after trading Benjamin, his enigmatic sixth-year center, General Manager Elgin Baylor said he hopes to make another deal before tonight’s 6 p.m. PST deadline.

The Clippers have had interest in point guards Mark Jackson of New York and Vern Fleming of Indiana, and both are very available. Orlando’s Scott Skiles has been the subject of speculation involving numerous teams.

Moreover, the Clippers have far greater flexibility for another move now. They suddenly have six No. 1 draft choices in the next three years--including Seattle’s in 1991 and ‘93, both of which originally came from Phoenix. Agreement to package those as a lure for a trade is unanimous in the front office.

Polynice doesn’t have the talent of Benjamin, but he also doesn’t have the contract. The fourth-year player from the University of Virginia makes $600,000 this season in an agreement that runs four more years. Benjamin, averaging 14.9 points and 12 rebounds this season, will earn between $1.6 million and $2 million, depending on incentives reached. The NBA has ruled his contract for salary cap purposes to be worth $1.75 million.

So the Clippers, already about $120,000 shy of the cap at the start of the day, picked up $1.15 million in the process.

But what else did they gain if no other deal is made?

Polynice, a 7-foot, 245-pounder who was the eighth pick overall in the 1987 draft by Chicago, hadn’t started a game for the SuperSonics this season. He backed up Michael Cage, whom the Clippers traded away in 1988.

Polynice isn’t the defensive presence that Benjamin has proven to be, either. But Polynice’s mark has been as an aggressive, hard-nosed player who runs the court well, and Clipper Coach Mike Schuler has been pleading for his players for just this sort of play.

Polynice’s best games have come recently, when Baylor was following the SuperSonics via satellite dish. In his last 19 outings, Polynice, who is expected in Los Angeles for a physical today and in uniform Friday against San Antonio at the Sports Arena, has averaged 10.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 66% while cutting into Cage’s minutes. For the season, he is averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds.

“I was a little shocked,” Polynice told the Morning News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., from New York, where the SuperSonics play the Knicks tonight. “Well, I don’t know if I’d even call it shock. It was a big surprise with everyone else’s name being thrown out there, but it’s good. It will work for both teams.”

Benjamin, whose unquestioned talent combined with frequent disappointing showings made him the walking epitome of the Clippers, was far more one-sided in his appraisal. He showed up just before Wednesday night’s game against Phoenix at the Sports Arena, wished his teammates well and said they still had a chance to make the playoffs. Then he bid the organization good riddance.

“I’m happy,” he said. “It’s a good career move for me, being with a team that has a pretty good chance to make the playoffs. That would be my first chance.

“I wasn’t surprised at the deal. I think it was a move they (the Clippers) had to make because they really weren’t sure if I would sign back. The organization has treated me bad during contract negotiations, and the scars have not healed. I feel like I never reached my potential here.”

Benjamin joins a team that holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

At one time or another, Benjamin lost the support of every member of the front office and several players, though they still talked of him as one of the most popular players.

The most recent Benjamin-Clipper dilemma may have been the most difficult. He said Tuesday he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, which means the Clippers could lose him without compensation, a crushing proposition after all they had invested. And there was little doubt he wanted to remain in Los Angeles and enjoyed his relationship with teammates.

Wednesday, Baylor refused to discuss whether Benjamin’s contract status played any role in deciding to trade a starting center for a backup center, saying, “I don’t think it’s necessary to answer that question.” But there is little doubt Baylor, owner Donald T. Sterling and Andy Roeser, the executive vice president in charge of business operations who recently had headed the team’s new attempt to sign Benjamin, did not want to look at a team without a center.

Schuler started three forwards--Ken Norman, Danny Manning and Charles Smith--against the Suns, just as he had done when Benjamin missed eight games after surgery to remove wisdom teeth in December. That is a possible lineup for Friday, but Polynice, a durable player who has missed only seven of 296 regular-season games in his career, will soon get a chance to really replace Benjamin.

Benjamin said he will be in uniform for the Saturday’s game against Phoenix. There will be familiar faces--Cage and Quintin Dailey are both former Clipper teammates now with the SuperSonics.