Chirs Broussard reports Cavs looking to get Shaq.

[KungPoweChicken]

Broussard reports that talk between Cleveland and Phoenix is heating up, in a deal that would send Shaq to Cleveland for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic.

[wdleehi]

A motivated Shaq could make a difference next year in Cleveland.  It would give them a true number 2 option  as long as he is healthy. 

[cornbreadsmart]

a potential move like this got me thinking. ainge has to take potential blockbusters from other teams into his decision making on bringing back all of the big 3 , right?

[Hoops]

A motivated Shaq could make a difference next year in Cleveland.  It would give them a true number 2 option  as long as he is healthy. 

Assuming the other league contenders stand pat, this would likely give Cleveland a championship as long as he is healthy for the playoffs.

[cornbreadsmart]

i'm not sure i feel this makes them favorites. maybe it does. but let's say danny ainge felt that way. this makes it more likely of breaking up what we have, right?

[jambr380]

Shaq is still 'good' and this will definitely make them better (Wallace is useless and Pavlovic fell out of favor in Cleveland), but I don't know that he will be dominant or anything or if he will even be better than Zydrunas of two years ago. This team just has a lot of holes and I doubt that bringing in a nearly 40 year old Shaq will make Lebron want to stay...but it does provide them with a decent chance at a championship- and I guess if they don't want to trade Lebron (even if they know, for sure, that he is going to leave), this is a good way to go out...

[VPofCommonSense]

perk can guard shaq... I love perk

[celticinorlando]

shaq still wont be enough IMO...

[Chief]

Mo Williams, Shaq, Big Z, Gibson, Delonte, and Lebron is enough. Plus, Varejao will most likely take his player option, so he'll be back too. If I were the Cavs and got Shaq, I'd trade Big Z for some more weapons.

[Roy Hobbs]

So long as chemistry wasn't a huge problem (and I don't think it would be) this would fill the Cavs' largest weakness.  I'm hoping it doesn't happen.

[acieEarl]

Shaq helps in a half court game but a good running team kills team Shaq When we ran Phenix last year, Shaq really hurt that team and we blew them out. That being said, Shaq getting 25 minutes starting or coming off the bench may have changed that Orlando series.

[Evantime34]

So espn is covering the possibility of Shaq going to Cleveland which does make sense to me (for the Cavs). However, they are saying the reason for the trade is that the Suns want some financial relief. The problem with this is Shaq's contract expires at the end of the year. This trade makes no sense to me.

[BballTim]

  Maybe they're assuming that Ben Wallace would retire and not count against the cap (is that right, btw?). That's the only motivation that I see.

[Evantime34]

  Maybe they're assuming that Ben Wallace would retire and not count against the cap (is that right, btw?). That's the only motivation that I see.

I believe that if he retired they could get insurance to pay his contract but I'd need Roy's opinion to be sure.

[Moranis]

well they save at least a million dollars which is the difference between Wallace/Pavlovic and Shaq, plus the luxury tax hit that doubles that so up over 2 million.  I'm sure the Cavs could probably throw in 3 million in cash as well.  If Wallace retires, they would save a hell of a lot more. 

There could also be other pieces like Barbosa thrown in and the Cavs send back cheaper contracts to phoenix, saving them a lot more money.  Something like Shaq and Barbosa for Wallace, Pavlovic, and Gibson.  Gibson is longer than Barbosa, but he is much cheaper so it would save Phoenix a bunch of money, especially next year when they are in luxury tax range.