SHAQ to Cleveland

[Lamrock]

Stern would love it. Shaq + LeBron vs. Kobe! If Shaq is as good as he was this last season, Cleveland's winning a title.

[MikeMan™]

I wonder what would've happened if they traded Wally for Vince !?

[Donatello]

I wonder what would've happened if they traded Wally for Vince !?

The Lakers would still be the champions, and Cleveland would have another extremely ugly contract on their hands.

[dopeboy]

This trade is unlikely now, since Suns want something more in return. Cavs probably won't risk that much. And don't tell me that Amare will stay. Phoenix is looking to deal him, just like Shaq. They just need the right offer.

[Andrew]

Did the Clippers paid White Chocolate ( Jason Williams ) too !?
If so , that's a good scam .

They did. That was a pretty weird situation.

[Bodz]

Here's another link from realgm : Cleveland Is Shaq's Preferred Destination

Apparently West is rumored to be involved should the trade fall through..

[shadowgrin]

O'Neal reportedly has some demands. He would like a two-year contract extension, and assurance that James will remain with the Cavaliers for at least the next three seasons.

Phoenix has also fielded calls from other teams that have inquired about O'Neal, including the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks.

Dallas could send the Suns Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier, but the Suns have little interest in the Mavericks' plodding center, especially since he has two years and more than $23 million left on his contract.

The Hornets could perhaps offer more talent than anyone else by giving up either Tyson Chandler or Peja Stojakovic, but both players also have two years at big money left on their deals (roughly $24 million for Chandler and $30 million for Stojakovic).

The Knicks are trying to pawn their troubled center Eddy Curry off on the Suns but are getting nowhere.

lolz.

[Andrew]

If the Suns are willing to give up Shaq's expiring contract, getting someone like Wallace who'll still provide them with a big expiring contract seems like the way to go. I remember the Tyson Chandler rumours were making the rounds a few months back and I expect the Suns would have more interest in him than Erick Dampier, but if they could position themselves to trim their payroll it might work out a little better for the rebuilding efforts.

[benji]

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns have come to an agreement on a blockbuster trade that sends Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to team with LeBron James, according to sources.

The deal has been agreed to in principle and is expected to be finalized Thursday, according to sources.

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the future Hall of Famer.

The trade gives the Cavs a player they've coveted since February. With center Zydrunas Ilgauskas starting to break down, adding Shaq to the roster gives them a dominant force in the middle. The Cavs were obviously unhappy with their ability to defend Dwight Howard in the playoffs and bringing Shaq into the fold should help.

For the Suns, the move is a straight salary dump. Pavlovic's $5 million dollar contract next season is only partially guaranteed for the amount of $1.5 million. Factor in the disparities in the contracts between Wallace, Pavlovic and Shaq and the team will save $4.5 million next season. However, when you factor in the savings they'll reap on the luxury tax, it will be closer to $10 million in savings. That savings can be amplified if Wallace decides to retire and the Suns buy him out of his contract for less than the $14 million he's owed next season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4285489

[Lamrock]

Wow. Another terrible Phoenix trade. Ben Wallace is retiring, so the sum of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks is Sasha Pavlovic. Hmm.

[Brave Sir Rubin]

Wow. Another terrible Phoenix trade. Ben Wallace is retiring, so the sum of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks is Sasha Pavlovic. Hmm.

Are you braindead?

This isn't about Ben Wallace as a player. It's about his damn contact.

Sasha ain't a bad addition and could be used as trade bait.

Plus, they got cash out of it (probably a considerable amount).

[NovU]

Looks like Andrew was right on the target about PHX getting Ben Wallace's expiring contract for Shaq. Expiring for Expiring, but this should make Amare bit more happy I assume. Or they can always trade him to Miami for another declining O'neal.

[Dee.]

Oh my god,if the deal will be done,I'm a new cavs fan Right Now lol.
Maybe another Ring for Shaq.
I would love it if Žydrūnas Ilgauskas would become a starting PF.

[benji]

They agreed to the deal and updated the story, I've correspondingly updated my quote above.

[Dee.]

Cavs Will Own at the coming season.
Wallace may retire,Thought some teams want him.Like the Spurs.

[Lamrock]

Wow. Another terrible Phoenix trade. Ben Wallace is retiring, so the sum of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks is Sasha Pavlovic. Hmm.

Are you braindead?

This isn't about Ben Wallace as a player. It's about his damn contact.

Sasha ain't a bad addition and could be used as trade bait.

Plus, they got cash out of it (probably a considerable amount).

All-NBA centers don't grow on trees. When you trade a valuable player, you usually get a prospect along with your expiring. Hickson + a first round pick + Pavlovic + Wallace for Shaq and Dragic would be better.

[cyanide]

So Shaq found out he got traded through Twitter (though he's probably kidding around).

If Shaq can keep his form from last year, Cleveland has a pretty good shot of making it to the Finals. Not sure if they can beat LA though.

[Andrew]

Great trade for Cleveland if Shaq remains healthy and as cy said, keeps the same form as last year...perhaps even the move that puts them over the top. I wonder if we'll see another trashing of former teammates and another Godfather analogy with his new ones. For Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, it's definitely worth the roll of the dice as far as the Cavaliers are concerned.

For Phoenix...well, it clears the lane for Amar'e and if they want to focus on him and Nash as they rebuild, at least they're getting a big expiring contract in return and a player who might be able to give them some decent minutes off the bench. It's a deal that could potentially mean a lot more for the Cavs than the Suns, at least in the short term.

[|)e8*]

Phoenix also gets a second round draft pick.
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/06/25/shaq.trade.ap/

[Dee.]

Yeah 46 draft Pick+some amount of money !

[dansensei]

we might see a kobe vs shaq finals next season...
this is getting interesting...

[Martti.]

I think Shaq wont have the firepower left in him to still dominate down low. He's a lot slower then other big men, ex Dwight, Bynum, Amare. He still has a big body not to let Dwight and guys simply back down in the post though.

Not being the biggest Cleveland fan, and now with Shaq there, who I dislike even more, I hope the Lebron-Shaq tandem wont work out.

[benji]

Did you watch last season? A little motivation and Shaq will tear people apart still. This is like the situation in Miami, Shaq tries to stay healthy during the season, the young dominant superstar paces them to 60 wins. Then they strike in the playoffs as Shaq goes full bore to prove a point.

Does it work long term? No. But with a year window to win a title before a major reshuffling of the league could happen, you take the chance.

All the contenders are thinking the same way for this season, especially if the Amare to Houston and other silly rumors are to believed. Watch.

This was about Dwight Howard. That's a matchup you know Shaq will get fired up for.

[Future Guy]

Shaq is 37. The last 37-year-old center to play a major role on his team was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he was a different type of player. I hope this works out for Cleveland, and LeBron and Shaq form a Magic-and-Kareem duo, but the odds are unfortunately against it. They might've been better off with Tyson Chandler.

[bee-boy]

Cavs-Lakers NBA finals next season maybe