What’s Next for Seattle?

Ray Allen choked back tears in the interview room, getting misty as he described how much he enjoyed his Seattle teammates and coaches this season.

“I’ve never felt a stronger, tighter bond than I’ve felt for this group of guys this year,” he said.

What a year it was. The SuperSonics exceeded expectations by winning 52 games and the Northwest Division title.

After Seattle’s 98-96 loss to San Antonio on Thursday night that eliminated the Sonics from the Western Conference semifinals in six games, the five-time All-Star was sentimental.

“We took it deep into the playoffs,” Allen said. “We played great basketball, no doubt about that. We beat some good teams and had a lot of fun. The difference with this team? We really liked each other.”

Nobody knows what’s next.

Allen is one of nine free agents and one of the NBA’s premier players on the market this summer. Even if Seattle brings him back, things are likely to be different next fall.

After Allen earned about $14 million this season, Seattle could have given him a maximum $97 million, five-year extension.

It’s believed the Sonics proposed a deal worth more than the five-year, $65 million contract that Steve Nash signed with Phoenix last summer before his MVP season.

Unfortunately for Allen and the Sonics, negotiations during the regular season didn’t work out, and both sides agreed to try again after the playoffs.

Asked if he’ll return, Allen really couldn’t say.

“That’s been my goal the whole time,” he said. “It’s tough to think about now. People ask me, ‘Could this possibly be my last game in the building?’ I don’t know.

“I know basketball for me is over for a couple of months. I just plan on being in uniform,” he added.

Antonio Daniels, meanwhile, holds an option, while Jerome James and Reggie Evans can shop for offers after each blossomed into promising post players.

Vladimir Radmanovic is a restricted free agent, so the Sonics could match competing bids. The other free agents are Ronald “Flip” Murray, Vitaly Potapenko, Damien Wilkins and Mateen Cleaves.

And let’s not forget those two big free agents from the management side: coach Nate McMillan and general manager Rick Sund. Both went into this season without extensions.

LeBron James has already targeted McMillan as the coach he’d most like to see in Cleveland, and the former Seattle point guard known as “Mr. Sonic” -- his No. 10 hangs from the KeyArena rafters -- no doubt raised his currency with a remarkable, overachieving season.

Not that it was his primary focus.

“It wasn’t really about winning or losing for me this season,” McMillan said. “That may sound crazy being in a contract year, but it was all about how these guys played, how hard they worked and the commitment to playing together.”