Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | June 28, 2005
Sonics Director of Player Personnel Dave Pendergraft's night wasn’t even close to finished when the 60 picks of the Draft wrapped up. Pendergraft is in charge of putting together the Sonics squad for the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league, and that means he had to interrupt phone calls to agents of undrafted players to speak to the local media.
"It's already started," Pendergraft said of the process of putting together roster. "I'm begging. Now it's recruiting. The summer league is all about 
Robert (Swift) and (first-round pick) 
Johan (Petro) and 
Damien (Wilkins). That's what the summer league is. The most important position for that is, I need a point guard. I need a point guard to get the ball inside, run the offense. I want to get something out of this summer league. It's not about winning and losing, it's about getting Johan and Robert ready to play."
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"The summer league is all about Robert (Swift) and (first-round pick) Johan (Petro) and Damien."
Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty
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Wilkins, a question mark for summer league previously because he is a restricted free agent, has agreed to play for the Sonics squad. Following a deep 2005 Draft that saw several talented players go undrafted, Pendergraft has no shortage of options to join him.
"Shoot, I wrote down about 12 guys that should have been drafted, second-round guys," said Pendergraft. "Tre Simmons, he's a draft pick. In most years, Aaron Miles is drafted. In most years, Kennedy Winston is drafted. I can go on and on. Now I'm getting on the phone and calling disappointed agents, because they thought their guy would be drafted and they weren't."
Ex-Huskies Simmons and Will Conroy, potential second-round picks who both went undrafted, are certainly in the group Pendergraft is considering.
"I've already reached out to both Tre and Will to come," he said. Tre's an NBA shooter with an NBA body. All he needs is a chance. Will Conroy is a coach's dream. I thought he was key to UW's team; he ran the show."
Last season, in addition to developing Swift and forward 
Nick Collison, the Sonics also used the Rocky Mountain Revue to find free agents Wilkins and 
Mateen Cleaves, both of whom made their final roster. The goal this summer is more of the same.
"Two years ago, Dean Demopoulos won the LA Summer League," said Pendergraft. "Well, he won it with 
Flip (Murray) and 
Reggie (Evans) and 
Vladimir (Radmanovic) and we got very little out of it. Last year, we had a sub-.500 record, but we found Damien Wilkins and Mateen Cleaves. That's what the summer league is about, and definitely giving Robert Swift minutes and Petro minutes."
