CLEVELAND, OH - August 13th, 2008 - The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. In exchange, the Cavaliers sent guard Damon Jones to the Milwaukee Bucks and forward/center Joe Smith to Oklahoma City. The additional components of the three-team trade included Milwaukee acquiring guard/forward Adrian Griffin and guard Luke Ridnour from Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City acquiring forward Desmond Mason from Milwaukee.
“Acquiring Mo strengthens our nucleus of players for both the short and long term. He is entering his prime NBA years and will be part of the foundation of our future success," Ferry said. "Mo is a player that excels as a traditional point guard, but also brings an extra dimension with his scoring and versatility. His ability to push the tempo, get inside the lane, shoot from the perimeter and distribute the ball will be very valuable for us.”
Williams, 25, averaged 17.2 points in 36.5 minutes per game and posted career highs in assists per game (6.3), field goal percentage (.480), three-point shooting (89-231; .385) and free throw percentage (.856) in 66 games (all starts) during the 2007-08 season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard was one of just six players in the NBA (Baron Davis, LeBron James, Andre Miller, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade) to post averages of at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season. A five-year veteran, Williams has played in 329 games (226 starts) and has career averages of 12.5 points on .444 shooting, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists.