Magic, Suns Close on Hardaway

The Phoenix Suns appeared to be a mere formality away Wednesday night from completing a sign-and-trade deal with the Orlando Magic that would bring point guard Penny Hardaway to the desert.

“It’s not a done deal until we get the league office on the phone and we have the transaction take place,” Sun President Jerry Colangelo said. “And we have not had that take place.”

Colangelo gave every indication the Magic was prepared to go through with the deal that would send Hardaway to Phoenix for Pat Garrity, Danny Manning and two draft picks. The trade could be completed today, although there apparently was still room for the Magic to back out. However, the Suns were the only team with an offer on the table.

“They told us [Tuesday] that we had a deal in that we’ve agreed to what we’re going to give them in terms of compensation,” Colangelo said. “We took care of our end of the business. That’s why I keep saying we’re waiting for Orlando to pull the trigger.”

Said Orlando General Manager John Gabriel: “It’s a huge decision for us, obviously. I was in here until midnight with the coach [Doc Rivers] trying to work this out.”

To make the trade happen, Hardaway would sign a seven-year, $92-million contract with Orlando, the largest allowed for a player with his experience under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, then would be traded to Phoenix.

It would be a major boost to the Suns, who endured a lackluster season this year and are handicapped in any efforts to improve by the salary cap. The team used its $2-million exception Wednesday to sign free-agent forward Rodney Rogers.

Elsewhere around the league:

* The Sacramento Kings re-signed forward Lawrence Funderburke.

Funderburke, 28, averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds over two seasons with the Kings. Last season, the 6-foot-9 forward shot a team-leading 55.9% from the field.

The Kings are expected to re-sign forward Corliss Williamson later this week.

* Indiana Pacer General Manager Donnie Walsh told the Indianapolis News that the Boston Celtics had approached him offering forward Antoine Walker. The Pacers also were known to be pursuing a sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers for forward-center Lorenzen Wright.

* Otis Thorpe, the 16th player in NBA history with 15,000 points and 10,000 rebounds, signed with the Miami Heat. The 6-foot-10 forward played for Washington last season.

* Guard Terry Porter, who played for the Heat last season, was reportedly close to signing with San Antonio.

* Miami reportedly was trying to find a third team with salary-cap space to facilitate a three-way trade that would bring Wizard free-agent guard Mitch Richmond to the Heat.

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Shooting guard Steve Smith, apparently expendable to the Atlanta Hawks, seems a perfect fit for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Smith gets a chance to play for a proven winner, whose deep roster allows him to lessen the pounding on his aching knees. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, get a veteran scorer who might be the missing piece to reaching the NBA finals.

“I’ve been going to the playoffs, but never got past the second round,” Smith, 30, said in Portland, Ore., two days after the Hawks traded him and Ed Gray to Portland for Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson. “And for me, the only thing is to win. That was a place I really wanted to go, somewhere where they’re committed to winning.”