SEATTLE -- The Seattle SuperSonics will have young and improving Jerome James in the middle again next season.

The 7-foot-1, 285-pound James, who started at center in 40 games last season in his first year with the Sonics, re-signed Thursday night.

	James

The Sonics gave the restricted free agent a three-year contract. No terms were disclosed but a source close to the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said James would receive between $4.5 million and $5 million per season.

"I think it's good because it helps solidify our center position," general manager Rick Sund said. "We have three centers and all three play a different game."

The Sonics also have 6-11 Calvin Booth, who was injured most of last season, and 6-11 Predrag Drobnjak as starting centers.

The Sonics now will turn most of their attention to re-signing free agent Rashard Lewis, who was their second-leading scorer at 16.8 points and top rebounder at 7.0 last season at starting small forward.

Chicago, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers all have money under the NBA's $40.271 million salary cap, but the Sonics can offer Lewis the most money.

Lewis, who will be 23 on Aug. 8, is believed to want the maximum to stay in Seattle: a $102 million, seven-year contract.

New York, Portland, Dallas and Memphis reportedly were interested in adding James to their rosters.

James' agent, Marc Fleisher, did not immediately return a telephone call to The Associated Press.

"Jerome's got a presence in the low post," Sund said. "He was our biggest player last season. He's legitimately big. He's got size."

James was a major surprise for the Sonics last season, when they made it back to the playoffs with a 45-37 record before losing in the first round in five games to San Antonio. Playing in 56 games, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes while leading the team with 86 blocked shots.

James, 26, played 16 games and 42 minutes with Sacramento in 1998-99 and was signed by the Sonics as a free agent last Sept. 5. He earned $465,850 last season.

He played a career-high 35 minutes in a March 30 game in Portland and had a career-high 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds Feb. 24 at Toronto.

He spent 20 games on the injured list from Nov. 19 to Dec. 29 because of a sprained right foot.

James decided he wanted to stay in Seattle with coach Nate McMillan despite reportedly having offers for longer contracts. The Knicks are believed to have pursued him the hardest.

"The good thing about Jerome is that he's young," Sund said. "He's still got a ways to go as a player. He wanted to return. That's a credit to Nate. He's a late bloomer and hasn't reached his prime. He made improvement as the season progressed and hopefully he can improve next season."

James went to high school in Tampa, Fla., then attended Florida A&M.

McMillan said re-signing James was a key offseason goal. The Sonics don't plan on signing any free agents from other teams this summer.

"We're excited to have Jerome return to Seattle next season," McMillan said. "He's a young player who has shown tremendous potential and really solidifies the center position for us."

James said playing for McMillan was a key factor in his decision to return.

"It feels great to be coming back to the Sonics," he said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to working with coach McMillan and his staff and to play in front of Seattle's great fans."

The Sonics think they can re-sign Lewis, who is an unrestricted free agent.

"He likes the direction of our club and he likes Nate as do a lot of players," Sund said. "Nate has a big influence. Our team is growing in the right direction and he's going to be a big part of it."

The Sonics are also hoping to re-sign restricted free agent point guard Earl Watson, who became Gary Payton's backup as a second-round draft choice from UCLA last season.