Cleveland will send Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, $500,000 cash, and the 46^th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft to the Suns for the future Hall of Fame center.The deal is awaiting league approval and should be finalized on Thursday.

Shaq is expected to bolster the front line of the Cavs, and he gives Cleveland an inside threat to help free up room for Lebron James to operate. Dwight Howard exposed Cleveland's interior during their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Orlando Magic this year. O'Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season, and made the All-Star team for the 15^th time in his career.

With only one year left on Shaq's contract, the Cavs will still be able to pursue players such as Chris Bosh in next year’s loaded free agent class.

Phoenix gains some financial flexibility from unloading O’Neal. Pavlovic's $5 million dollar contract next season has just $1.5 million guaranteed, and the team will save roughly $4.5 million next year. In addition, when luxury tax savings are factored in, the figure should reach $10 million in savings. That savings can be amplified if Wallace retires and Phoenix buys him out of his contract for less than the $14 million he's owed next year.

The deal is a strong indication by the Suns that the trade of Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaq in February of 2008 was a mistake (read Maury Brown's analysis on that transaction By the Numbers: The Shaq for Marion/Banks Deal). Marion was a free agent this summer, and their savings would've been $21 million as opposed to the $5.5 million they're saving in this trade.

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