The Cleveland Cavaliers completed a blockbuster trade yesterday, bringing superstar center Shaquille O'Neal from the Phoenix Suns to join LeBron James, the reigning NBA MVP.
The Cavs will send the Suns center Ben Wallace, swingman Sasha Pavlovic, a second-round pick in the 2010 draft and cash.
"Shaq is an incredible ballplayer and a four-time NBA champion," James said in a statement. "I have a lot of respect for him and his game. It will be a real honor to play with Shaq as my teammate, and I look forward to another great season with the Cavs."
O'Neal has won four titles during his 17-year NBA career -- three with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant and one with Miami -- and now will try to get another with James, whose resume lacks only an NBA title.
The trade is a gamble for the Cavs. They are hoping that the 37-year-old O'Neal, who is past his prime and has one year and $21 million left on his contract, can be the missing piece that helps James deliver a championship to a city that has waited for one since 1964.
"This move and our goals are aligned with what our players want, including LeBron, to win a championship and win it this year," General Manager Danny Ferry of the Cavs said. "We don't want to be patient."
For sheer star power, the O'Neal-James tandem rivals any on the sports landscape today. And if it works and lasts, it might one day be in the company of Maris-Mantle, Koufax-Drysdale or Montana-Rice.
Ferry and GM Steve Kerr of the Suns have been discussing the deal for months and finally reached a preliminary agreement early yesterday morning. The teams had to get league approval before the trade could be announced, and the deal became official in the afternoon.
James could have used O'Neal during this year's playoffs. The Cavaliers' frontcourt of Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao couldn't contain Orlando's Dwight Howard, and Cleveland lost in the Eastern Conference finals after coasting through the first two rounds without losing a game.
O'Neal is coming off an All-Star season -- averaging 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 75 games -- but he doesn't move as well as he once did, and he has slowed Phoenix's high-powered offense. Still, at 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, he's big enough to take on Howard alone.
"He is a force," Ferry said. "Always has been, still is. He's a wall that's around the basket -- a tall, long wall. On offense, he's going to get double-teamed. He's a great passer and a great receiver."
Celebrities with massive personalities and egos, James and O'Neal have been friends for several years and often wondered what it would be like to play together. Ferry isn't worried about any kind of personality clash.
"They both badly want to win," Ferry said.
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