When the Cavs acquired Mo Williams from the Bucks, he immediately became their starting point guard.
West, of course, had been the starter almost from the time he arrived from Seattle on Feb. 21. He also played well in the postseason, especially against NBA champion Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Nevertheless, when the restricted free agent and his agent began negotiating with the Cavs on July 1, they ran into a brick wall.
The Cavs made him a "low-ball" offer, in agent Aaron Goodwin's words, and it was nowhere near the figure he had in mind. They reportedly offered him a contract worth about $4 million for next season, multiple league sources said.
Here's how this process works. Teams normally make an assessment what they think a player's market value is. Then they talk to other teams and agents to see if their opinions line up. In West's case, the Cavs' numbers jived with what others in the NBA thought were fair.
West's up-and-down career had hit rock bottom in Seattle where he was riding the bench behind Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour. After arriving in Cleveland, however, he played well and got his career back on track.
Obviously, Goodwin disagreed with the Cavs' market value for his client. He said he thinks West should earn a contract that averages at least $5 million a season.
That has led to an impasse from the two sides.
All that changed on Wednesday when Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry turned two backup players (Damon Jones and Joe Smith) into a frontline starting point guard. Now, the Cavs don't have to up their offer to West. They can take the attitude of "take it or leave it."
West's camp lost much of their bargaining power with Ferry and Cavs assistant GM Chris Grant.
"It leaves Delonte exactly where he was before," Goodwin said. "The only difference is instead of paying $4 million to Damon Jones (who was traded to Milwaukee), they are now paying $8.5 million to Mo Williams.
"(Williams and West) are both points guards and I don't think Delonte is concerned with that. The financial situation remains the same, and so does our position: Either offer Delonte a more favorable contract or he may opt to just sign his qualifying offer. The ball is still in their court. It definitely shows why they haven't been in any hurry to get things done."
Ferry said the Cavs still want to sign the 6-foot-3, 180-pound West, a player they've coveted since he left St. Joseph's University.
Ferry said Goodwin was informed that the Williams trade could happen.
"We've communicated with Delonte and agent," he said. "They knew this was a possibility. We still hope Delonte is part of our team."
If West is re-signed, his role will undoubtedly change. He could possibly start at shooting guard, but he'd have to beat out veterans Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic. That might be a tall order. In addition, shooting guard Tarence Kinsey was signed as a free agent recently. It's difficult to decipher where he fits in right now.
Or, West could find minutes at point guard behind Williams. Remember, Daniel Gibson is still going to get regular minutes off the bench at either point guard or shooting guard. The Cavs think he's one of the best shooters in the league.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown is going to have a difficult time juggling the minutes of all these players. In fact, there are not enough minutes to keep all of these players happy.
The Cavs could execute a sign-and-trade with West. There are supposedly a couple teams interested in West, but the Cavs might not like what would be coming back.
West will likely accept the $2.8 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Some think the Cavs wouldn't mind that happening. Trivia question
Cavs players Williams and LeBron James were one of six players during the 2007-08 season to average at least 17 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds. Who were the other four?
Rumor mill
* The rumor mill has been churning after the Williams deal. The Cavs could be talking to the Knicks about a big man.
* Veteran shooting guard Michael Finley re-signed with San Antonio, but the Cavs wanted to add him to their crowded backcourt.
* Technically, the Cavs can still trade point guard Eric Snow, but they wouldn't be able to use the injury exception. There is no update on his injury settlement with the insurance company.
* Swingman Adrian Griffin has now been involved in the last two major trades the Cavs have pulled off. He went from Chicago to Seattle in the Feb. 21 blockbuster that brought Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Szczerbiak and West to the Cavs. Then, Smith and Jones were traded in the Williams deal on Wednesday. As ballast to make the trade work, Griffin was sent from Oklahoma City (formerly Seattle) to Milwaukee.
* A source said the Cavs could have gotten forward/center Dan Gadzuric from the Bucks in the Williams deal, but declined.
* Former Cavs guard Flip Murray signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Hawks. Dynamo Moscow had interest in him, but they settled on Jannero Pargo.
Quick shots
* Williams was part of an outstanding team at Alabama in 2001-02. During his freshman season with the Crimson Tide, they finished 27-8 and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Kent State. Williams was the Southeastern Conference's freshman of the year.
* Cavs basketball communication manager Garin Narain has something in common with Williams. They are both getting married on Aug. 30.
* The Austin Carr Good Guy Award jinx continues. All three of the past winners - Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and Jones - have been traded by the Cavs.
* Cavs assistant GM Lance Blanks will be a camp director at Basketball without Borders Africa on Sept. 3-7 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
* Cavs first-round pick J.J. Hickson participated in Tim Grgurich's camp in Las Vegas recently. He seems to be making major strides.
Trivia answer
Besides Williams and James, Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade also averaged at least 17 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season.
rfinnan@News-Herald.com