Cavaliers: I can already hear the league's other GMs scoffing: "Sure, it's easy to make a deal when you're willing to spend more than anyone else." That said, I love this deal for the Cavs. Loveitloveitloveitloveitloveit. They hit a home run here.
Cleveland spent a ton of money, but in basketball terms they basically got Antawn Jamison for free. Ilgauskas, presumably, will go back to Cleveland in 30 days after reaching a buyout agreement with Washington. Meanwhile, the pick the Cavs surrendered was pretty much worthless to them anyway: Anybody they would have drafted next year wouldn't be likely to contribute to the Cavs anyway, like 2009 draft picks Christian Eyenga and Danny Green. And the pick certainly wasn't going to help them this postseason.
I like Jamison for Cleveland better than the primary alternative, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, for a few reasons. First, he makes less money, and there isn't the issue with his potentially leaving after the season. Second, he's a more natural "stretch 4" than Stoudemire, and that's the one area in which the Cavs were most lacking.
I've had a couple people tell me Jamison is a low-efficiency offensive player, but that' s just not true. His shooting percentages are only average, but what these folks miss is his miniscule Turnover Rate -- his mark is half that of Stoudemire's, for instance.
Jamison gets most of his points without dribbling or isolating one-on-one -- most of his points come in the flow. On a team for which LeBron James, a gifted passer, is doing most of the work with the ball, Jamison's ability to make a quick cut that generates a shot should prove valuable. The last time he was in a similar situation, playing with Steve Nash in Dallas, he shot 53.5 percent from the field, posted his career high in PER and won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
While Jamison's age is a concern at 33, he has kept himself in great shape and rarely misses games. Health-wise, he might be a better risk than Stoudemire (who's undergone surgery for both knees and a detached retina) even though he's six years older. Throw in the little matter of Jamison not costing the Cavs anything important, and it's clear which proposed trade was better.
Cleveland was able to cut the deal without including prized young forward J.J. Hickson because it was willing to help Washington get under the luxury tax. The Wizards dumped much more money with this trade than a straight Hickson-and-Ilgauskas-for-Jamison swap would have allowed -- some creative deal-making by the Cavs' braintrust to engineer this one, as well as heavy financial commitments by Cleveland ownership.
Now about that money: Cleveland not only took on Jamison and the $28 million he's owed for the two seasons after this one, they also took on $2.7 million owed to Telfair next year -- it's technically a player option, but he should return as he has no chance of matching that dough as a free agent. Adding Telfair will cost an additional $2.5 million in luxury tax payments this year, and if and when the Cavs re-sign Ilgauskas, that will tack on additional tax. Telfair, incidentally, is currently injured and near-useless even when healthy, especially on a floor-spacing team like the Cavs.
Cleveland presumably will face those payments again next year. Technically Cleveland is projected at the moment to be under the tax threshold next season, but this summer the Cavs will either re-sign Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal or parlay them into other assets; they're likely to use their midlevel exception too. All told, they're looking at a cost of $3.5 million this year and several million more over the next two.
So in grading this trade, why does Cleveland get an "A-" and not a full-fledged "A"? Because the Cavs took a risk here, however small, that could end up biting them in a big way this summer. Cleveland helped the Clippers get more cap room, and one thing the Clips could potentially do with that cap room is pursue LeBron James. Granted, it's highly unlikely -- really, LeBron is gonna play for an owner like Donald Sterling? -- but obviously, if the Cavs lose LeBron, any benefit from acquiring Jamison would seem miniscule in comparison.
Of course, this also could be the deal that locks James into staying. If he wins a title this year and sees a future with the cast of productive snipers Cleveland has built around him, there's no reason for him to consider L.A., N.Y. or any other alternative. Cleveland: A-
