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Jamison Trade
By The Associated Press

03:19:12 AM (ET), Thursday, February 18, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP) -LeBron James has a new All-Star sidekick.

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Antawn Jamison from Washington on Wednesday night, the forward they hope will fit in between James and Shaquille O'Neal on a championship front line.

Jamison was the centerpiece of a three-team deal that also sent Drew Gooden to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Washington received Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a 2010 first-round draft pick and the rights to Emir Preldzic, who was selected in the second round of last year's draft from Cleveland.

The Wizards also received forward Al Thornton from Los Angeles.

Cleveland gets guard Sebastian Telfair from the Clippers.

``Antawn is a great pro. We are very excited to have an experienced all-star player of Antawn's caliber and character join us,'' Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement announcing the trade. ``He has the ability to add a special, unique dimension to our team with a strong inside presence and the ability to stretch teams defensively, while impacting the entire court.''

The Cavaliers had long coveted an athletic power forward who could play on the perimeter after they were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in last year's Eastern Conference finals.

They had reportedly been involved in trade talks with Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire, but instead ended up with another former All-Star.

Jamison, who had been with the Wizards since 2004, is averaging 20.5 points this season. He was not in uniform for Washington's game with Minnesota on Wednesday.

``Antawn Jamison has been the embodiment of leadership on and off the court for this franchise for five-and-a-half seasons and we thank him for all he has done for the Wizards and the city of Washington,'' Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. ``Unfortunately, our on-court results have not met our expectations and we felt it was necessary to make changes to improve our future and our financial flexibility. This trade accomplished both of those objectives.''

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* Hope the Jamison acquisition works out. *

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