Manning True to Word, Signs With Suns

Free agent Danny Manning backed up his talk of picking a team based on factors other than money by signing a one-year, $1-million contract with the Phoenix Suns, far below what he could have made elsewhere, it was learned Wednesday.

The two-time all-star forward, who spent his first 5 1/2 pro seasons with the Clippers before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks last February, is taking a $2.25-million pay cut from 1993-94 and even a $500,000 drop from his rookie campaign of 1988-89 because that is the Suns’ only salary slot.

Manning decided against a more lucrative long-term contract with a one-year out clause to avoid being the latest to have such deals challenged by the NBA.

The Lakers, one of the teams to lose in the Manning derby, might benefit anyway because the arrival of a new starting small forward in Arizona clears the way for Cedric Ceballos to be traded.