Jumaine Jones was tossed into a kind of NBA limbo - the sort that no player who has experienced life at the top can appreciate - two years ago.

The 6-foot-8 forward went from starter on the Sixers team that reached the 2001 NBA Finals to an offseason trade that sent him to Cleveland, land of the doomed.

After averaging just under 10 points a game within the Cavs' anarchic system last season, he pushed out into free agent waters.

And the first exec to call was the Celtics' Danny Ainge, who had long appreciated Jones' athleticism and the forward's fluid game, from medium-range jumpers out to 3-point range.

Ainge and general manager Chris Wallace made good on that foray yesterday when they completed a sign-and-trade deal with Cleveland, sending guard JR Bremer and center Bruno Sundov to the Cavs in exchange for Jones.

Though terms of the deal weren't disclosed, Jones will reportedly earn approximately $4.1 million over three years. The deal was briefly delayed Monday when Jones attempted to have an option inserted into the contract, only to be told that under NBA contracts, options aren't allowed within the first three years of a sign-and-trade deal.