Clippers Cut Back on Their Offer to Wilkins : Pro basketball: Two-year, $8-million deal became three years at $7.5 million. Agent rips team executive’s negotiating approach.

In an apparent negotiating ploy, the Clippers last week withdrew an $8-million, two-year contract offer to forward Dominique Wilkins after Wilkins’ agent complained that a Clipper executive tried to deal with the player directly.

The Clippers gave Wilkins 10 days to accept a $7.5-million, three-year deal with an $800,000 annual bonus for making the playoffs. The deal, which was rejected, would have been $1 million per season less than Wilkins’ $3.5 million salary this season.

Steve Kauffman, the agent, said Andy Roeser, Clipper executive vice president, had acted unprofessionally in trying to negotiate with Wilkins directly during a meeting before the new offer. Wilkins declined the overtures.

“I’m astonished,” Kauffman said. “I’ve never had it happen in 20 years. I told Andy how upset I was and I gave him a chance to rectify the situation and he did not do so.”

Wilkins is reportedly seeking a $21-million, three-year deal.

“I immediately faxed them back and said we didn’t need the other nine days,” Kauffman said of the second offer. “It was absolutely foolish what they sent us. I don’t know what they felt it was going to accomplish other than to make Dominique Wilkins extremely mad. You’re not buying a piece of real estate, you’re trying to sign a superstar.”

Clipper spokesman Joe Safety said: “We will conduct our business privately and we will not negotiate in the newspapers. That’s for agents to do.”

If the Clippers fail to sign the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer, acquired from the Atlanta Hawks for Danny Manning on Feb. 24, they will wind up with only a 1994 first-round draft pick for Manning, their all-time leading scorer.

Wilkins, who left for Switzerland on Tuesday, was unavailable for comment.

However, last week he indicated it was unlikely he will return to the Clippers. He becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“The chances right now are slim and I’ll leave it at that,” Wilkins said. “I’d love to be back, but things haven’t happened that way.

“I’d love to be here. I love L.A., I love the city. But if it’s not for me to be here, I won’t be here and it doesn’t look that way right now.

“I’m not asking for the world. I’m just asking for what’s fair.”

Clipper Notes

Point guard Mark Jackson has asked to be traded and there is speculation the Clippers will deal him to Indiana for former Bruin Pooh Richardson. . . . The NBA Board of Governors has approved the Clippers’ plan to play one exhibition and six regular-season games at The Pond of Anaheim next season.