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Bench Warmer
Talk between the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers of a trade that would have Shaquille O'Neal playing with LeBron James next season is "heating up again," according to a report in The Arizona Republic.
The trade rumor involving O'Neal, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic may sound practical for Phoenix and dynamic for Cleveland and has been confirmed to ESPN.com by a team executive, but another source close to the situation said "there's nothing going on" between the two teams.
O'Neal, 37, will make $20 million next season in the final year of his current deal, while Wallace will make $14 million in the last year of his contract and Pavlovic $4.9 million with only $1.5 million guaranteed.
The salary swap is close enough to make the trade work under the salary-cap guidelines, and the Suns would save $5.5 million in the transaction -- $4.5 million in salary and the matching $1 million in luxury-tax payment.
They could save even more money if Wallace takes a buyout, a possibility that was raised when Wallace said he was considering retirement after the Cavs' Eastern Conference finals loss to the Orlando Magic.
If the Suns acquired him and bought out his contract for less than face value, they could lower their actual expenditures, although the full amount would still count toward their luxury-tax total.
Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed to ESPN.com in late February that a deal sending O'Neal to the Cavaliers had been discussed.
Wallace and Pavlovic were offered to the Suns for O'Neal as part of the Cavs' well-chronicled quests to add one more big man for the playoffs and show James they were serious about an NBA championship.
The trade rumor involving O'Neal, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic may sound practical for Phoenix and dynamic for Cleveland and has been confirmed to ESPN.com by a team executive, but another source close to the situation said "there's nothing going on" between the two teams.
O'Neal, 37, will make $20 million next season in the final year of his current deal, while Wallace will make $14 million in the last year of his contract and Pavlovic $4.9 million with only $1.5 million guaranteed.
The salary swap is close enough to make the trade work under the salary-cap guidelines, and the Suns would save $5.5 million in the transaction -- $4.5 million in salary and the matching $1 million in luxury-tax payment.
They could save even more money if Wallace takes a buyout, a possibility that was raised when Wallace said he was considering retirement after the Cavs' Eastern Conference finals loss to the Orlando Magic.
If the Suns acquired him and bought out his contract for less than face value, they could lower their actual expenditures, although the full amount would still count toward their luxury-tax total.
Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed to ESPN.com in late February that a deal sending O'Neal to the Cavaliers had been discussed.
Wallace and Pavlovic were offered to the Suns for O'Neal as part of the Cavs' well-chronicled quests to add one more big man for the playoffs and show James they were serious about an NBA championship.
