The recent three-team blockbuster between Chicago, Cleveland, and Seattle sure made for an interesting headline. Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons, and Shannon Brown are headed to Chicago. Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, Delonte West, and a Chicago second-round pick are going to Cleveland. Adrian Griffin, Ira Newble, and Donyell Marshall are Seattle-bound. Many trades of this magnitude at first appear to be jumbled messes but then, upon careful examination, actually come out looking pretty good. This one looks like a jumbled mess at first glance and then, upon careful examination? is still a jumbled mess.

Wallace and Hughes, proud owners of two of the worst contracts in NBA history, epitomize the combination of injured and grumbling, and both are set to be making salaries well into the eight-figure range until 2010. Both are shooting approximately 37% from the field (Wallace is at .373 and Hughes is at .377) while Hughes is getting his lowest assist average (2.4) since his disastrous ?03/?04 campaign and Wallace is getting his lowest defensive rebounding average (5.3) in a decade. Neither can be described as a positive considering contract, age in Wallace?s case, and contributions to teams that needed them desperately.

So now, Chicago and Cleveland have made a desperation move. Cleveland decided it was worth sacrificing Gooden in order to rid itself of Hughes, for whom Chicago proved willing to trade ? voluntarily at that. More interestingly, Seattle General Manager Sam Presti is continuing his mantra of expelling the cancerous salary situations he inherited while not being afraid to take a step back now in order to take two steps forward later. Let?s look at how each player in this deal will impact both the team he leaves and the team he joins:

Ben Wallace

Where else to start but with the player with the biggest name? Not too far removed from a Pittsburgh Steelers-like four Defensive Player of the Year awards in five seasons, Wallace?s decline has been steep. This season has been especially harsh to him as he?s been putting up single-digit rebounding numbers for the first time since Orlando, and his blocked shots have fallen below two a game, a mark he typically exceeded. His offense, never praise-worthy, has become non-existent in the form of a dreadful 5.1 points per game despite playing starter?s minutes. His athleticism appears to be fading, which is bad news for a 6?9? player used to banging with seven-footers. That said, his steals (1.4) and turnovers (0.98) are on pace with or better than his averages in Detroit so he?s not crumbling completely.

For Chicago to be able to parlay him into Gooden is enormous. Wallace?s age (33) doesn?t mix well with the Bulls? young core; add that the team might be forced into a sudden rebuild, and his presence there makes even less sense. It was best to ship Wallace as soon as possible in order to open up playing time for promising youngsters like Aaron Gray as well as newcomers Gooden and Simmons. Franchise forward Luol Deng can now also be more of a locker-room leader with Wallace, Smith, and Griffin leaving a void in the leadership department that I don?t trust Larry Hughes to fill.

Wallace?s future in Cleveland, his third Central Division team in three seasons, is less clear. A veteran power forward capable of helping Zydrunas Ilgauskas defensively in the paint makes sense for them, but Wallace?s salary is out of control. Even though it decreases over time, it?s still way too much for a player who?s approaching his expiry date more rapidly than most. As much as Wallace is capable of helping out the Cavs? defense and blending into Mike Brown?s system, Ferry will be saddled with the hardship of trying to scrape enough money to get Cleveland some new perimeter players while also re-signing Daniel Gibson.

Wally Szczerbiak

Speaking of new perimeter players for Cleveland, how about Wally Szczerbiak? He?s got great size to play the swing positions (around 6?7? 240lbs), is a heads-up player, and will certainly buy into Brown?s deliberate, micromanaged offense. A 49% career shooter averaging 43% from three this season, he?ll also benefit from LeBron?s ability to draw double-teams much like Gibson has. His defense is mediocre at best, but with Wallace and Ilgauskas down low, it might be forgivable.

Something of especial interest is Szczerbiak?s contract situation. He?s making a hefty sum in the neighborhood of Wallace and Hughes (about $13 million this season and $14 million, next), but his contract expires in summer 2009. Pooled with veteran point guard Eric Snow, the two could easily combine to match salaries with almost any player in the league. LeBron has spoken up in the past about getting more hel,p and if a player like Vince Carter or Michael Redd becomes available this summer or a year from now, Cleveland?s expiring contracts will be instrumental in organizing a deal much more consequential than this one.

Szczerbiak?s departure won?t affect Seattle much on the basketball court ? much like Kurt Thomas, he?s a good player, but they?re losing even with him; however, it sure will help in the pocketbooks. Ira Newble?s contract expires this summer, and no contract Seattle receives goes past 2009. Once a team overloaded with big contracts, rewarding superstars (Ray Allen) and journeymen (Vitaly Potapenko, et al.) alike, the Sonics can finally take a financial breath and smell the free agent market. Given Presti?s prudence thus far, Seattle fans should be happy with this situation.

Larry Hughes

Returning to the theme of players with enormous contracts, Hughes is another key player in this trade. There?s much that can be said about a player like him; at twenty-five, he had a great contract season and was rewarded with a five-year, $70 million contract. Now, at twenty-eight, he hasn?t has a good season since. Turnover-prone, injury-prone, and without a way to fit into Brown?s system, he?s been a massive letdown since his Cavalier arrival. There?s really no question he had to go.

What Paxson must be wondering is which Hughes he?ll get. The twenty-two points, six rebounds, and three steals Hughes left on the court in Washington would be very much appreciated by a Bulls' team needing height in the backcourt (which Hughes delivers at 6?5?) and greater aggressiveness on defense. The Hughes we saw in Cleveland, though, has only shown us glimpses of natural ability along with countless plays that make us wonder why he isn?t in the D-League. If Hughes can work with interim Coach Jim Boylan and integrate himself into the Bulls? offense more effectively than the disaster he left behind in Cleveland, Hughes could give the Bulls? backcourt an added push.

Unfortunately, whether Hughes succeeds in Chicago or not, incumbent Bulls' off-guard Ben Gordon has got to be shaking his head at this deal. Gordon?s agent and Paxson have been squaring off for months regarding a contract extension without much headway, and a re-emergence of Hughes could mean Gordon?s value plummeting ? or Gordon being gone altogether. If Hinrich, Hughes, and Gordon form an effective three-guard rotation beside which the Bulls can add a low-post scorer this summer, this deal will work in their favor. If Hughes plays like he did in Cleveland and Gordon signs for the tender this summer, this will send a once-promising team spinning into disaster.

Drew Gooden

Chicago?s other catch Gooden is a sure thing. Averaging only half a rebound less but over twice as many points as Wallace, Gooden is a young player on a reasonable contract who can start for most of the teams in the league and sure will for the Bulls. His athleticism and rebounding instincts will be welcome on a team that?s been looking utterly lost in both of those areas; look for him to be the Bulls? rebounding leader this season by a wide margin and to be sniffing around the hoop for passes from Hinrich and Gordon. He doesn?t answer all of Chicago?s big-man issues as he can?t create his own offense in the post, and his defense is good but not great, but he?s a welcome addition to a team needing someone at the four.

As much as I?ve seen him as an expendable piece for Cleveland, I can?t defend Ferry losing him in this trade. Gooden, with his short-term contract and his ability to fit on pretty much any type of team, is the kind of player who fits very well into a package for a superstar. Trading Gooden during the summer might have been more advisable, or he could simply be kept for as long as the Cavaliers require. In that sense, he?s a casualty in this trade; the price Cleveland is paying to trade Hughes for Wallace. As Hughes is five years younger than Wallace, Gooden is too high a price even when considering that Hughes?s contract increases over time while Wallace?s decreases. Had there been a draft pick or other player Cleveland could have added instead of Gooden, this might have been worthwhile, but there?s no way to justify losing a twenty-six year old to acquire a thirty-three year old.

Delonte West

West was apparently unhappy with his playing time in Seattle, but he?ll surely receive more in Cleveland, a team not noted for its backcourt depth. His passing and rebounding will be a nice complement to the shooting Gibson and Szczerbiak will provide. A young player who came from a winning college program and will buy into the team concept, West is the kind of teammate LeBron James should be happy to get, and Ferry should be looking to lock up after his contract expires this summer. He might not start, but he?ll be a good addition to that Cavaliers' team and maybe the only player they receive here who?ll sign another contract there.

Joe Smith

Smith?s inclusion is simple. His contract was necessary to make the salaries match, and Cleveland needed a veteran backup forward with Marshall gone to Seattle. He?ll be a good fit behind Wallace, being much better on offense despite lacking Wallace?s wide body and quick hands. He?ll get a rebound here, a blocked shot there, and he won?t disrupt the locker room, which is important to a Cleveland team that will need to develop its chemistry in a hurry if it wants to go anywhere in the playoffs. Chicago will miss him, but Gooden?s inside scoring and rebounding will make them forget Smith was ever on their team.

The rest

Marshall, Griffin, and Newble all have contracts that expire this summer, and that is why they were included in this trade. All are veteran players who could be useful on contending teams in at least some capacity but none figure to get much if any playing time on Seattle. Marshall can help Chris Wilcox on the glass a little, but that?s really the extent of these acquisitions basketball-wise. What?s more important is that Seattle has cleared over half of Szczerbiak?s remaining contract, with Marshall set to make around $6 million next season, and Griffin less than $2 million. Newble will be free to roam as he pleases this summer at the latest; Marshall will be a wily veteran on a sizeable yet manageable expiring contract; and Griffin?s salary will be minor considering the others moved today.

Thanks to the new system of extending the team options on rookie scale contracts from one year to two, Chicago can give Simmons an audition for the remainder of the season. He hasn?t shown much since coming into the league, having been buried on the bench in both New Orleans and Cleveland, but he should get a bit more time in Chicago. He?s still young, only in his second year, so he could feasible  have some potential. It?s up to him now to see if he?ll be a Bull long-term. Shannon Brown is in a pretty much identical scenario except that has shown even less and will be playing behind Hinrich, Hughes, and Gordon.

This trade helps saves Seattle a few million, really all Presti wanted to achieve, while being a big gamble for both Cleveland and Chicago. The Sonics are set to augment their youthful roster with free agents this summer which clearing Szczerbiak?s gargantuan contract can only help. Cleveland gets noticeably older, losing a key twenty-six year old for a couple of players who are thirty-plus, but sheds Hughes?s contract and picks up the intriguing West. Chicago moves Wallace for young talent spanning the spectrum of young talent: a player on a bloated contract entering his prime, a younger player on a better contract who?s also a better player, and a couple of still younger players making virtually nothing but who still have a lot to prove. It?s not perfect for anyone but in today?s NBA, it just might do.