The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired forward/center Ben Wallace and forward/center Joe Smith from the Chicago Bulls and guard/forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from the Seattle SuperSonics, General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. In exchange, the Cavaliers sent Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown to the Bulls and Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall to the Sonics. In addition, Cleveland acquired Chicago’s 2009 second round pick and Seattle acquired Adrian Griffin from the Bulls.
“Our primary goal with this deal is to create a positive impact as we head through the final stretch of the season and into the playoffs. We were very methodical in the process to make sure it was the best deal possible for this team,” Ferry said. “We’re very excited about what these players bring to us by adding a new dimension, and that we were able to impact this team without compromising future draft picks. This again demonstrates Dan Gilbert’s dedication to this organization and city. At the same time, we have great respect for the guys that are leaving us and feel like they all contributed to our success.”
Wallace, a four-time NBA All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year, has played in 50 games (all starts) with Chicago. He has averaged 5.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 32.6 minutes per game. He was a member of the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.
Szczerbiak has played in 552 career games (387 starts) and has averaged 15.3 points on .491 shooting including .407 from three-point range, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In 50 games (one start) for Seattle this season, he has averaged 13.1 points on .460 shooting, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 23.6 minutes per game. He ranks 12th in the NBA in three-point percentage at .428 (71-166).
Smith, a 12-year veteran, has played in 50 games (35 starts) for Chicago this season and has averaged 11.2 points on .466 shooting and 5.3 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. In 866 games (611 starts), he has career averages of 12.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
West has played in 35 games (five starts) for Seattle and has averaged 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20.7 minutes per game. He has played in 214 games (130 starts) and has averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting .444 from the field and .370 from three-point range.
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