Richardson OKs Phoenix’s Terms

Only hours before the Clippers were scheduled to meet Wednesday night with Kobe Bryant, Quentin Richardson agreed to terms of an offer sheet from the Phoenix Suns that would pay him $48 million to $50 million over six years, NBA sources said.

Richardson, a restricted free agent, would be eligible to sign the offer sheet after 9 p.m. PDT Tuesday, after which the Clippers would have 15 days to match the offer or lose the rights to their third-leading scorer from last season.

Richardson, 24, has said repeatedly that his first choice would be to remain with the Clippers, with whom the guard played his first four seasons, but the Clippers are waiting to see how their pursuit of Bryant plays out before addressing Richardson.

How long they would be willing to wait on Bryant was unclear.

“Once we talk to him and get in front of him, we’ll have a better sense of that,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said last week. “Ultimately, you could ask that question of him and you may not like the answer. Then you’ve got a decision to make.

“If he says, ‘I’m not willing to make my mind up for a long time,’ then you’ve got the choice of waiting or saying, ‘I can’t take that risk; we’ve got to sign some players now,’ and go do it.

“You’ve got to make an organizational decision on it. Wait to talk to him and his representatives and see what they feel is in their best interest and then you respect that and make your decision based on what’s in your best interest.”

The Clippers declined to comment on Wednesday’s developments.

Earlier in the day, after the first practice of a three-day mini-camp in preparation for Saturday’s opening of the Pro Summer League at Long Beach State, Dunleavy and General Manager Elgin Baylor declined to meet with reporters.

Richardson, a full-time starter for the first time, established career highs last season with averages of 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 36 minutes. The 18th pick in the 2000 draft, he was paid $1.8 million last season.

If Richardson was insulted by the Clippers’ infatuation with Bryant, an unrestricted free agent, he never let on. Last week, on the eve of the two-week free-agent negotiating period, he told the Rocky Mountain News: “If they think they can get Kobe, I can’t knock them for that. But I need to see what they’re thinking.”

His plan was to aggressively pursue an offer elsewhere.

Last Thursday, the first day he was eligible to make a recruiting visit, he flew to Denver to meet with the Nuggets. But the Nuggets, also in pursuit of Bryant as well as Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, did not make an offer.

The Suns, having cleared the cap space, also had been expected to join the Bryant sweepstakes before agreeing to terms last week with free-agent point guard Steve Nash of the Dallas Mavericks. Nash and Richardson presumably would form their starting backcourt.

The Clippers have been clearing cap space for a maximum slot since last fall, when they heard that Bryant might actually consider joining them. That left Richardson in limbo, a free agent as of July 1.

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Right on Q

Quentin Richardson, the 18th overall selection in the 2000 NBA draft, raised his scoring average to 17.2 during his fourth season with the Clippers:

*--* SEASON G FG% PPG REB 2000-01 76 442 8.1 3.4 2001-02 81 432 13.3 4.1 2002-03 59 372 9.4 4.8 2003-04 65 398 17.2 6.4 TOTALS 281 411 12.0 4.6

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