CLEVELAND — Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry rattled off all kinds of reasons for making the colossal trade.

It makes Cleveland tougher. It fills some holes. It makes the Cavs bigger. It gives them more experience. It will make a difference in the playoffs.

Ferry left out the most important one: It should make LeBron James happy.

On Thursday, with one minute to spare before the NBA's trading deadline expired, Ferry dismantled his team with less than 30 games remaining in a season he hopes will end with an NBA title.

In a complex, 11-player swap involving Cleveland, Chicago and Seattle, Ferry dealt half his active roster to acquire center Ben Wallace and forward Joe Smith from the Bulls, and forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from the SuperSonics.

James, the Cavs' super-duperstar wants to win a championship, several of them, and after seeing several other teams land big-name players via trades in recent weeks, the All-Star game MVP made it clear he needed help.

Ferry heard his cry.

"I didn't think we were good enough to win the championship," Ferry said, explaining his motives for the moves. "I thought we had a very good team. But I do believe if we have a chance to make ourselves better we should try.

"Was it a risk in doing so? Yes, it was a risk. But we're going to have to make some decisions that have some risk in them if we want to continue to build and grow as an organization."

Unable to finalize major deals in the past, Ferry pulled off one that could define his tenure just before the 3 p.m. buzzer. He sent guard Larry Hughes, forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons, and guard Shannon Brown to Chicago for Wallace, one of the game's top inside enforcers, and Smith, a versatile veteran.

Cleveland also acquired the sharpshooting Szczerbiak and West from Seattle for forwards Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall, two expendable parts. In addition, the Cavs will get Chicago's second-round pick in 2009. The Sonics will receive guard Adrian Griffin from the Bulls.