SEATTLE -- The Seattle SuperSonics, unable to sign first-round draft pick Doug Christie, Monday traded the swingman's rights and center Benoit Benjamin to the Los Angeles Lakers for forward Sam Perkins.
Seattle was six games behind Phoenix for the Pacific Division lead and the Lakers were 12 1-2 games off at the All-Star break.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday.
Christie, 6-foot-6, played at Pepperdine and Benjamin also used to play in Los Angeles, for the Clippers.
Seattle had been using the seven-foot, 260-pound Benjamin as a backup center to Michael Cage. Benjamin was averaging 6.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 31 games this season. The SuperSonics had acquired the eighth-year veteran from the Clippers in 1990 for center Olden Polynice and two first-round picks.
Perkins, 6-foot-9 and 257 pounds, was averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 49 games for the Lakers this season. The 31-year- old was signed by the Lakers as an unrestricted free agent in August, 1990 after spending the first six years of his career with the Dallas Mavericks.
Perkins averaged 16.5 points for the Lakers last season, but missed 19 games due to a left shoulder injury and was sidelined for the Lakers' first-round playoff loss to Portland. He averaged 17.7 points in 19 postseason games two years ago as the Lakers advanced to the NBA Championship series.
Perkins was the fourth overall player selected in the 1984 draft, from North Carolina.
