Analyzing the Deal: Bucks, Cavs, OKC

In one of the more interesting trades of the summer, all of the parties involved likely walked away happy. The thing is, I don't see this trade really making a huge difference for any of the teams involved, but only time will tell. Let's take a look at the implications of this trade on each team involved.

Cavs get: Mo Williams

Williams averaged 17 ppg and 6 apg last season for a mediocre Bucks squad. He was certainly one of their go to players, especially when the oft-injured Michael Redd was out of commission. Williams will have to change up his style of play once he joins the Cavs, but the idea behind this deal is that it will give Lebron James another player to share the scoring load with. I'm not so convinced that Williams is the perfect fit here, as I quite liked the Delonte West running the show for them. As it stands, the addition of Williams might be the writing on the wall that West will be playing elsewhere this season - maybe even in Europe. But since the Cavs have yet to find the perfect Robin to Lebron's Batman, I don't blame them for giving this a try. Williams is a proven scorer, and a decent distributor, but chemistry will be a major factor. They certainly get the best player of all three teams, but consequentially will be committing the most money to one player.
Grade: B+


Bucks Get: Luke Ridnour, Damon Jones, Adrian Griffin

What you have to like out of this deal for the Bucks is that they were able to unload Williams and his contract, providing future financial flexibility, while still adding some decent players. While Ridnour has yet to perform up to his expectations, and certainly hasn't performed at the level of Williams so far in his career, he is a player who probably still has some room to develop into a solid point man. Ridnour is expected to start on a revamped bucks team, and in all honesty, what they needed was a distributor (not a scorer) at point now that they have both Redd and Richard Jefferson on the wings. Reportedly, Damon Jones probably wont ever don a Bucks jersey and will be playing elsewhere this season. Griffin will give the Bucks a bit more depth and a serviceable defensive player, but that's about it. While this trade makes a lot of sense for the Bucks, they still come up on the short-end from a talent standpoint.

Grade: B-


OKC Gets: Joe Smith, Desmond Mason

I think that this was a very solid trade for OKC. They were able to unclog their logjam at the point, allowing Earl Watson to maintain his starting job and catering to the development of rookie Russell Westbrook. They also get solid veteran players who can provide leadership to a young team that has been largely unsuccessful as a group. Smith will provide some much-needed front-court help. And while he is getting a bit old, and he can't play quite as much as he used to, he will be a great fill-in when Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox need a breather. Mason should be somewhat happy with the trade, not only because he is both an ex-Sonic and an Oklahoma State alumnus, but he should be able to find ample playing time amongst the young stable of wings they already have.

Grade: B+