The Cavaliers reportedly offered the Nets Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract in exchange for Vince Carter on Wednesday night, according to The Star-Ledger.
However, New Jersey was busy putting the finishing touches on the trade with Milwaukee that sent Richard Jefferson to the Bucks for Bobby Simmons and Yi Jianlian.
Rod Thorn considered the deal from Cleveland but not for very long.
The trade the Bucks agreed upon to acquire Richard Jefferson from the Nets on Thursday afternoon could signify that they will keep Michael Redd in town, according to The Morning Journal.
The Cavaliers were rumored to be interested in Redd's services as a nice No. 2 option alongside LeBron James, but all of a sudden Milwaukee looks like a playoff team in the East.
After dealing with New Jersey, the Bucks now have a respectable lineup of Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva, and Andrew Bogut.
They also added Joe Alexander through the draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired the draft rights to forward Darnell Jackson from the Miami Heat in exchange for the lower of the Cavaliers' two second round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft.
In addition, Cleveland purchased the rights to center Sasha Kaun from the Seattle SuperSonics.
Jackson was selected with the 52nd overall pick by the Miami Heat while Kaun was selected with the 56th overall pick by the Seattle Sonics.
Both Jackson and Kaun were four-year members of the Jayhawks and helped lead Kansas to the 2008 NCAA Championship and four straight Big 12 regular season titles.
The Seattle Sonics selected UCLA guard Russell Westbrook with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. With the team?s other first-round selection (24th overall), the Sonics selected Serge Ibaka from the Congo.
In a second-round trade, the Sonics selected Walter Sharpe from the University of Alabama-Birmingham with the 32nd pick and then traded Sharpe and the No. 46 overall pick (Trent Plaisted ? BYU) to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for D.J. White, who was selected No. 29 overall in the first round by the Pistons.
?We?re very happy with our draft tonight,? said Sonics General Manager Sam Presti. ?We feel that we have added players who will be a part of our foundation as we move forward. We?re confident Russell Westbrook?s skills will fit with what we?re building here. He is a defensive-minded player with a tremendous blend of talent and work ethic.?
?Serge is a player that we feel has tremendous potential. He brings energy and athleticism to the floor as well as the ability to stretch the defense as shooter.?
As a sophomore at UCLA, Westbrook was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, earned Third Team All Pac-10 honors, and was named to the league All-Defensive Team. After logging 1,318 minutes, Westbrook set UCLA?s single season record for minutes played. Westbrook led the team in assists (4.3 apg) while also ranking third in scoring (12.7 ppg). A Long Beach native, Westbrook graduated from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California.
Ibaka grew up playing in his native Congo with the Avenir du Rail club. Last season competing in Spain, Ibaka averaged 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for C.B. L?Hospitalet LEB Gold.
White spent four collegiate seasons at the University of Indiana and averaged 14.6 points for the Hoosiers and earned Consensus Second Team All-America honors as a senior. He was also named Big Ten Player of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference honors from the media and league coaches.
?D.J. White is a blue collar player,? Presti said. ?He is a worker and someone that has had a tremendous college career.?
The Sonics completed their 2008 Draft by selecting Devon Hardin from the University of California with the No. 50 overall pick and Sasha Kaun from the University of Kansas at No. 56 overall. Hardin earned Honorable Mention All-PAC-10 honors as a sophomore and finished his collegiate career as Cal?s second all-time leading shot blocker with 132 blocked shots. The Sonics later traded Kaun to Cleveland for cash considerations.
Many people believe that LeBron James will be making a move to New York when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2010, but the Knicks may not have the cap room to sign him, according to The Morning Journal.
He has an early termination option on his $17,149,243 contract for the 2010-11 season, and many think he'll opt out.
Donnie Walsh would have to rid an extreme amount of salary from the team's cap number in order to make such a deal possible. Getting rid of the contract of Zach Randolph, by then, would be a must.
The Cavaliers could look to send Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak to the Bucks for sharpshooter Michael Redd, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Cleveland is looking for a legitimate scorer to pair alongside LeBron James, and they would be able to provide Milwaukee with Szczerbiak's expiring contract and the chance to lock Varejao up with an extension.
If the Bucks aren't interested, the Cavs could try to swing a similar deal with the Warriors or Clippers for Baron Davis or Elton Brand.
The Cavaliers are reportedly interested in moving up to take Kansas swingman Brandon Rush and are also talking to the Sonics about acquiring one of their four second round picks, according to The Morning Journal.
Cleveland has the No. 19 pick, but Rush's stock has risen significantly as of late.
Seattle has picks No. 32, 46, 50, and 56 in the second round while the Cavs have none.
Sources say the Cavs have been active in trade talks in days leading up to the draft.
If the Warriors made forward/center Al Harrington available, the Cavs might have an interest.
The Cavaliers will not allow center Zydrunas Ilgauskas to play for Lithuania during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Ilgauskas made it known that he would like to play for his home country for the first time in his career, but the team considers it to be too much of a risk.
"Zydrunas is an important member of our team and has generally been a higher risk player due to his injury history," Cavs' General Manager Danny Ferry said Thursday night.
"We declined consent for Zydrunas to play in the Olympics when he approached us several weeks ago, and in light of the inability to insure Zydrunas adequately, we continue to deny consent and will not permit Zydrunas to play in the 2008 Olympics as a member of the Lithuanian National Team."
Daniel Gibson underwent a successful left ankle arthroscopic debridement and loose body removal today in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Clanton of the Roger Clemens Sports Institute at Memorial Hermann and was also attended by Cavaliers head team physician Dr. Richard Parker from The Cleveland Clinic.
Daniel is expected to start rehabilitation work next week and be ready for the upcoming training camp and NBA season this fall.
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