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Shaquille O'Neal is going to be a Cavalier.



According to multiple team executives, the Cavs have agreed in principle to a trade with the Phoenix Suns to bring the four-time champion and future Hall of Famer to Cleveland. The team is hoping he is the biggest missing piece alongside LeBron James in a quest to win their first NBA Championship.



The Cavs will send the Suns veterans Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic in a deal plus the 46th overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. It is a trade that has mostly financial incentives for the Suns as they stand to save around $9 million in salary and luxury taxes while the Cavs take on the final year of O'Neal's contract at $20 million. The Suns could save even more if Wallace accepts a retirement buyout as he hinted at the conclusion of the season.



The trade could be finalized on Thursday.

The Cavs and Suns have been talking about this swap for the last six months off and on and couldn't get it done ahead of February's trade deadline. Talks re-started last week and became intense Wednesday.



O'Neal is coming off an excellent season in which he averaged 17.8 points, shot 61 percent and played 75 games. He was an All-Star and was named Third Team All-NBA after dealing with an injury-plagued season in 2007-08.



Picking him up now would serve a couple purposes for the Cavs. First it would give them the massive inside presence they have been lacking and proved to be a stumbling block against the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic this season.



Second, because O'Neal is on the last year of his deal it would give the team immense flexibility for the future. If the experiment to match him with LeBron James did not work he could be traded by February's deadline. If the Cavs aren't able to reach their goal of winning a championship O'Neal would come off the books and the Cavs would be in position to attract one of the big name free agents in 2010.

Looking at No. 30

What can the Cavaliers expect with the No. 30 overall pick? Well it is a mixed bag as would be expected this late in the draft. Here's a look at the last five players taken with the 30th pick and what has become of them since:

2004 -- Anderson Varejao, 6-11, F, Magic: Plucked from FC Barcelona of the Euroleague, the Magic traded him to the Cavs and he's become a mainstay in the frontcourt. Actually was a second-round pick that year because the Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first round pick for breaking league rules.

2005 -- David Lee, 6-9, F, Knicks: Left Florida early and has turned in four strong seasons with the Knicks as a double double machine. Like Varejao, he's a free agent this summer.

2006 -- Joel Freeland, 6-10, Blazers: A project pick and the first Brit taken in the first round. He remains overseas three years later and likely won't be here anytime soon.

2007 -- Petteri Koponen, 6-4, G, Blazers: Another projected Euro (he's from Finland) and another player not in the league now or the near future.

2008 -- J.R. Giddens, 6-5, G, Celtics: The Celtics almost didn't even sign the New Mexico product but eventually did and had him spend the season in the D-League. Not expected to be in the Celtics rotation any time soon.

The candidates

Here are five players the Cavs are considering selecting if they're available at No. 30. (If the Cavs keep the pick.):

Derrick Brown, 6-8, 227, F, Xavier: The Dayton native worked out for the team last month. Has a limited offensive game but is very long (7-2 wingspan) and has all the tools to be a quality defender. He is a strong rebounder and did show a much improved 3-point shot last season.

Omri Casspi, 6-9, 225, G/F, Maccabi Tel Aviv: Cavs worked out the Israeli two weeks ago. Long shooter and scorer who runs the floor well and just turned 21 years old. Questionable toughness on defense though he played for one of the best teams in Europe. Has jumped up draft boards after workouts in U.S.

Toney Douglas, 6-1, 200, PG, Florida State: A late bloomer who has impressed teams in private workouts. Spent four years at FSU after transferring from Auburn. Had a strong scoring senior season (21.5 ppg) but has made his name with his defensive ability and lateral quickness.

Danny Green, 6-6, 220, SG, North Carolina: Was a part of more wins (123) than any player in Tar Heel history. Not a superior athlete but does a lot of things well and plays very hard, especially at defensive end. A smart, undervalued player the Cavs tend to like.

Patrick Mills, 6-0, 185, PG, St. Mary's: Super quick Australian who made a name for himself in the Olympics last year. The Cavs gave him a close look Wednesday afternoon in a workout in Independence.

Workout Wednesday:

The Cavs arranged workouts Wednesday afternoon in Independence with three guards they will consider with their first-round pick. According to a league source, because the Cavs closely protect who they invite to work out, the team hosted Patrick Mills, Nick Calathes and Toney Douglas. All three are believed to be under consideration for the 30th pick.

Since he's been the general manager of the team, Danny Ferry has almost exclusively drafted players he has brought in for a private workout and interview. This season it has been difficult to get players to town because the Cavs pick so low.

They have worked out forwards like Derrick Brown, Omri Casspi and other big men both in Cleveland and at group workouts set up around the country.

Though the Cavs are mostly interested in getting tall defenders, this draft is deepest at the point guard position and there's a good chance there will be solid choices both times the Cavs make their slotted picks. The team is looking to add a third ball handler because neither Delonte West nor Daniel Gibson are true point guards.

Kinsey arrested: Cavs guard Tarence Kinsey was arrested early Wednesday morning in his hometown of Tampa, Fla., on suspicion of DUI. Kinsey was pulled over at 3:38 a.m. and he failed field sobriety tests and then refused to take a Breathalyzer, according to reports. Kinsey played in 50 games for the Cavs last season and is under contract for the upcoming season for $955,000, though that deal is not guaranteed and he was seen as trade bait.

Minicamp set: This weekend the Cavs will conduct a rather large minicamp for some free agents who are looking to catch on with the team. Most of them have NBA experience. The team held a similar event last year and ended up signing Kinsey after his performance there. Some of the players may then play on the Cavs' summer league team in Las Vegas, which Jawad Williams did last year and ultimately made the team.

Expected to play are big men Earl Barron, John Peter Ramos, Dijon Thompson, Courtney Sims and guards Aaron Miles, Lionel Chalmers and Rawle Marshall among many others.