The Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Oklahoma City have completed a three-team, six-player deal, headlined by guard Maurice Williams heading to Cleveland.

Cleveland, Incoming: Maurice Williams (from MIL)
Cleveland, Outgoing: Damon Jones (to MIL), Joe Smith (to OKC)

Milwaukee, Incoming: Adrian Griffin (from OKC) Damon Jones (from CLE), Luke Ridnour (from OKC)
Milwaukee, Outgoing: Desmond Mason (to OKC), Maurice Williams (to CLE)

Oklahoma City, Incoming: Desmond Mason (from MIL), Joe Smith (from CLE)
Oklahoma City, Outgoing: Adrian Griffin (to MIL), Luke Ridnour (to MIL)

From Cleveland’s perspective, they upgrade at the point guard position with the addition of Maurice Williams, while giving up the expiring contracts of seldom-used guard Damon Jones and backup power forward Joe Smith. As far as talent and team needs are concerned, this was an absolute no-brainer for the Cavaliers. Williams may not be your traditional pass-first floor general, but he fits the description of the point guard needed alongside LeBron James. The five-year NBA veteran sharpshooter will add an outstanding perimeter shooter to the mix, as well as more advanced ball skills than that of the likes of Delonte West (who’s contractual situation remains up in the air) and Daniel Gibson. The only downside to this deal for the Cavaliers is the contract of Williams, which consists of over $35 million over the next four years with a player option of $8.5 million through the 2012-2013 season. Regardless, it is clear that Cleveland is not necessarily in need of money as much as they are in need of basketball talent, and that is exactly what they picked up in Mo Williams.

Milwaukee may have unloaded the best individual player in the deal and be viewed as getting the short end of the stick on paper, but after dissecting the trade from all angles, you could argue that the Bucks got the best end of this deal. For starters, Mo Williams clearly was not doing Milwaukee’s offense any good. This is a team in need of a pass-first point guard to run the offense, as opposed to a shoot-first, scoring point guard such as Williams. While Luke Ridnour may not be as talented, he may be the much better fit for the Bucks’ offense. But even more importantly, Milwaukee was able to unload Williams’ large contract in this deal, while taking back two expiring contracts (Griffin, Jones) with Ridnour’s deal just running for two more years. Financially, this deal is a beauty for the Milwaukee Bucks, and that is one of the areas that they’ve struggled with over the past few years. This deal puts them on the right path to becoming financially healthy.

Oklahoma City solved perhaps their biggest roster issue in this deal - the point guard logjam. With the addition of Russell Westbrook via draft, the new and unnamed Oklahoma City franchise had a three-guard glut with Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson alongside the promising rookie. This deal ships Ridnour out of town, relieving P.J. Carlesimo of a headache regarding playing time distribution from the point guard position. In addition, it adds a much-needed upgrade on the wing behind Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Desmond Mason, who was ironically drafted 17th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2000, will give the team an experienced and stable “hustle guy” to bring the intangibles off the bench. Joe Smith, who’s contract will expire in the summer of 2009, will also provide another veteran presence to help groom and mentor the young talent on board.

This three-team deal includes many positives and should benefit all parties involved.