A Buzz Around Seattle Center

It could be more than two weeks before they know for sure, but the Clippers might have found a starting center Saturday.

While running through the first day of training camp at L.A. Southwest College, they also were busy working behind the scenes to bring in Predrag Drobnjak, a starter in 69 games for the Seattle SuperSonics last season.

The 6-foot-11, 272-pound Drobnjak, a restricted free agent, has reached agreement with the Clippers on a four-year, $10-million contract and as of late Saturday, the Clippers and SuperSonics were working on a sign-and-trade deal that would allow Drobnjak to join the Clippers this week.

If the teams are unable to come to terms, however, the Clippers will sign the Serb to an offer sheet, which the SuperSonics would have 15 days to match, leaving Drobnjak and the Clippers in limbo into the third week of October.

Drobnjak’s agent, David Bauman, made it clear Saturday that he would prefer the sign-and-trade scenario, urging the SuperSonics to let his client go.

“Peja is 100% adamant, he does not want to go back to Seattle,” Bauman said. “He has no interest in playing for that organization. He said to me, ‘If they really want me, they would have made a fair offer to me weeks ago and I would have been up in Seattle, happy and playing hard for those guys, like I always did.’ ”

Bauman said that Drobnjak, who averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, is “committed” to the Clippers, who last week flew him in from Serbia for a workout. The agent said that new Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy, who as coach of the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers enjoyed success with European centers Vlade Divac and Arvidas Sabonis, had been lobbying Drobnjak for several weeks.

“If the Sonics think they’re doing the right thing by their team by matching [the Clippers’ offer] and getting Peja to come back up there, they’re out of their minds,” Bauman said.

Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor, meanwhile, said he was optimistic that a deal could be worked out, hopefully today, with the Clippers giving up a second-round draft pick.

In Seattle, Drobnjak, 27, was part of a logjam at center, apparently the odd man out because of contractual concerns after the SuperSonics, who have committed $15 million to three other centers this season, were unable to trade one.

Dunleavy and the Clippers, who lost five-year starter Michael Olowokandi to the Minnesota Timberwolves in July, would love to take him off their hands.

“You have a guy that can make shots from the outside; he’s pretty mobile,” the coach said of Drobnjak. “It allows you to open up the court and create space around the basket for other guys to get to the rim.”

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As four-year veterans, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette are the only Clippers who cannot participate in the first three days of drills. They will begin practicing Tuesday when camp shifts to Palm Desert for six days.

The Clippers’ report dates are three days earlier than those of most NBA teams, including the Lakers, because the Clippers open the season in Japan.