Since LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have been in search of a perfect sidekick. Despite always being a threat in the East, Larry Hughes, Luke Jackson and Wally Szczerbiak could never provide the ideal complement to James’ game. The additions of Mo Williams and Shaquille O’Neal have bolstered James’ supporting cast, but he’s never had another forward that could be a reliable scorer and truly keep defenses honest. They’ve needed another wing player who is both capable of scoring in one-on-one situations, but also be be a consistent outside shooter that James can kick to when defenses collapse. A three team trade involving Cleveland, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers may have landed the Cavs the player they’ve been waiting for.
The Cavaliers came away with the crown jewel of this trade in Antawn Jamison, who is averaging 20.5 ppg and nearly 9 rpg this season. He is also a legitimate outside shooting threat at 35% from behind the arc. James has to be ecstatic about the arrival of Jamison, whose presence on the court should only stretch defenses and make things easier for himself. To bring Jamison to Cleveland, they had to trade franchise cornerstone Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a first round pick. There are also rumblings that Ilgauskas will seek a buyout with the Wizards, which means he potentially could return to the Cavs (after 30 days). The Cavs also didn’t have to give up their up-and-coming forward, J.J. Hickson, who had been rumored to be part of any deal involving Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire, so this is a big win for the Cavs and their fans.
While it won’t make much difference on the court, the Cavs also took on the contract of Los Angeles’ Sebastian Telfair as part of the deal. While he likely won’t see significant time behind Mo Williams, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson, we can all reminisce about the reuniting of these high-school phenoms whose career progressions have been remarkably different.
The Wizards sent the recently acquired Drew Gooden to the Clippers as part of the deal, and received Al Thornton from Los Angeles. Along with Ilgauskas (and his $11.5 million expiring contract), the Cavs also provided the Wizards with a 2010 first-round draft pick and the rights to Emir Preldzic. Both the Clippers and the Wizards gain more salary cap flexibility to go after big name free agents this summer…and it is fair to say that both squads have given up on trying to be competitive this year.
