Seattle ships Moore to Nets

SEATTLE — The Seattle SuperSonics traded center Mikki Moore to the New Jersey Nets on Thursday for a second-round pick in the 2009 draft.

Moore played in 47 games last season, his first with the Sonics, but became expendable after Seattle drafted 7-footer Mouhamed Sene with the No. 10 pick in this year's draft. The inexperienced, 20-year-old Sene was thought to be headed for the NBA Development League at the start of next season, but general manager Rick Sund said Sene played "surprisingly well" for the Sonics' summer league team.

Seattle coach Bob Hill said his preference is to have Sene start next season with the Sonics, instead of in the D-League.

"We are pleased with the current depth of our roster in the post position and look forward to seeing what our three young centers bring to the court this season," Sund said in a statement.

Moore averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12 minutes per game last season. He briefly played for New Jersey during the 2003-04 season, and has also played for Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Moore has averaged 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 303 career games.

MAGIC SIGN ARIZA: The Orlando Magic on Thursday re-signed Trevor Ariza, a restricted free agent the club acquired in a midseason deal with the New York Knicks.

Ariza played in 57 games with both the Magic and the Knicks last season, averaging 4.6 points and four rebounds per game.

The Knicks sent Ariza and the expiring contract of Anfernee Hardaway to Orlando as part of the Steve Francis deal completed in February.

"We are very pleased to bring Trevor back, as he is a key part of our young core," general manager Otis Smith said in a statement. "His athleticism and explosiveness will be a great asset to our team on both ends of the floor."

Ariza, 21, was originally selected 43rd overall by the Knicks in the 2002 NBA draft.

SUNS SIGN MARKS: The Phoenix Suns on Thursday signed free agent Sean Marks to a one-year deal, beefing up the team's frontcourt depth with a veteran player.

Marks, 30, a New Zealand native, spent the past two years with the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 25 games last season. The Suns will be Marks' fifth NBA team; he's previously played for Toronto, Miami and Seattle.

A forward-center with seven years in the league, Marks joins a lineup already flush with international players, including Canadian Steve Nash, Frenchman Boris Diaw, Brazilian Leandro Barbosa, Irishman Pat Burke and Raja Bell, a native of the Virgin Islands.

Terms of the deal were not announced.