The Cleveland Cavaliers may be making a trade very soon, and the deal would be huge. The Cavs are in talks with Phoenix to trade for Shaquille O’Neal in exchange for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. ESPN News has been all over this story today, with a few twists to it.
Executives from both teams are claiming that the deal is “not imminent”, but any long-term talks for trades will eventually find the exact same comments from front-office people. This trade is the same trade that was being discussed before the trading deadline, and the weaknesses that were exposed by Dwight Howard resurfaced talks with the Suns.
If this trade happens, it will be extraordinary, enough to push Kobe Bryant into a headline-sharing day of events. Furthermore, it will not harm our salary situation. Shaq makes 20 million dollars next year, and Wallace and Pavs combine for 19 million next year.
So do you make the deal for a guy who averaged 17.8 points per game this season and give up two bench players? That’s a no-brainer. Make the deal and stop bluffing with the other GMs. Though the NBA is somewhat similar to elite poker in many ways, making the most out of the free agency period plays a key role in winning the championship.
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Additional point #1 – If we make the push and get the championship next year, expect Laker fans to bombard us with “LeBron can’t win a ring without Shaq” taunts, turning the tables on us.
Yeah, who cares. If this city gets a ring, let the Laker haters say anything they want.
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Additional point #2 – If this trade happens, thank former GM Wayne Embry for it. Embry made the move which brought Danny Ferry to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a player in the 80s. While here, Ferry made good friends with one of the Cavs’ guards, Steve Kerr.
Their friendship continues strong today, and this trade will have been made easier considering Kerr is now the GM of the Phoenix Suns and Ferry is the Cavs’ GM.
Hell, yeah.
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