The worst kept secret in the NBA's rumor mill finally became a reality early this morning when Cavs GM Danny Ferry and his former Cleveland teammate and current Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr agreed in principal to a deal that sends Shaq to the Cavs and Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, the #46 pick and $500,00 to the Suns.
This exact deal reportedly almost happened last February at the trade deadline but the Suns preferred Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract over Ben Wallace's which had one more year left on it. There was talk earlier this month that the Suns were looking for talent and not just cap relief and were requesting Delonte West be added to the deal. This would have been a deal breaker for the Cavs as they know Delonte is a proven, young defensive minded player who can create his own shot. There aren't many of those types on the current Cleveland roster, if you haven't noticed yet. Ferry was determined to get the best deal with the Sasha/Wallace package and he went out and made the biggest splash he could have possibly made.
This trade could do wonders for both teams as Phoenix is now able to save a ton of money without having to enter complete rebuilding mode and will have an extra draft pick to help them get younger tonight and with all of that money coming off the books next season they may be players in the Free Agency Frenzy of 2010. Or they may opt to start building a younger core of players and stay under the luxury tax.
Even though Shaq is looking for a new 2 or 3 year deal he will probably only be a 1 year rental. He may be the most valuable 1 year rental in the history of the NBA as the existence of the entire franchise hangs in the balance with the anticipated free agency of LeBron James drawing closer by the day. After I got word of the trade early this morning I turned on ESPN Radio to hear the national reaction and Chris Broussard said that this might be enough to entice LeBron to sign an extension this summer. According to Broussard, LeBron signing an extension would make Cleveland a valuable destination for 2010 free agents. Not only that, but it would put several members of the New York media out of work as the constant LeBron-to-NYC buzz would finally come to an end.
People who are hating on this trade, if they exist, need to realize that Cleveland got Shaq for basically nothing. Ben Wallace hasn't been Ben Wallace since 2004 and Sasha Pavlovic has never lived up to his potential and has given the Cavs very inconsistent production the past two seasons. It's a shame that Sasha never established himself with the Cavs because he has the size that the Cavs are looking for in a small forward but his mental lapses always seemed to get in the way of his progress. Wallace gave us good minutes while he was here and Cleveland fans should have nothing but respect for him as he gave it all he had and played through nagging injuries. My fondest memory of Ben as a Cavalier may very well be his first game as a Cavalier when he made his presence known immediately by scoring a layup then turning around and stealing the ensuing inbounds pass and scoring again. Unfortunately, his body started breaking down fast and his passion started to do the same. Phoenix may be able to work a buy out if Wallace decides to retire as he hinted to after the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the end, Danny Ferry was able to get the player he wanted without giving up more than he wanted in the deal. While he got the big fish ("The Big Walleye" ??) that he wanted, he may not be done dealing. With the draft only hours away, another splash will prove just how serious Ferry and the Cavs are about winning a championship in 2010.
edit: The Cavs gave up the 2010 second round pick not the 2009 #46 pick.
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