Everybody wins. A rare statement to be made about a three-team trade. The New York Knicks have dumped two flakes in Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, while freeing up cap space and getting a future draft pick. Shumpert and Smith go to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who desperately needed assistance across the board after a rough month of being hampered by injuries. While the deal did not get the Cavaliers any interior help to make up for the loss of Anderson Varejao, they did receive two solid perimeter shooters. David Blatt will likely resort to a smaller lineup laden with shooters to make up for the loss of his starting center.

The clear winner of this trade, however, has to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Kevin Durant still struggling to stay healthy and Russell Westbrook recenyly shedding the cast on his wrist, Scott Brooks needed outside help. And he got that in Dion Waiters. Reggie Jackson, a young, emerging talent, has been a crucial scoring threat in the Thunder lineup. But, now, Waiters brings a physicality that the Thunder previously lacked. He also will attempt to fill the void that James Harden left as a sixth man, providing insurance at the guard position. Depth is key for the Thunder and, while Waiters is not a guaranteed fit, he is certainly a roster upgrade.

So what does the forecast bring for each of these teams as a result of this trade? First, it brings the Thunder closer to getting back in contention. They have not been as resurgent as anticipated since getting Durant and Westbrook back. With a record of 17-18, one and a half games out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference, Waiters and good health will be key ingredients to a playoff berth. Looking into the crystal ball, the Thunder are now more than capable of overtaking the eighth seed and a bad stretch for the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers or Houston Rockets would allow them to snag a seventh or, even, sixth seed. The latter is a stretch so let's say the Thunder wind up with the final playoff spot and will rely on the addition of Waiters to slow down the likely top-seeded Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.

Moving to the Eastern Conference, David Blatt would be wise to switch things up and play small with an influx of shooters and continued lack of an intimidating post presence. J.R. Smith is likely to come off the bench as he did for the Knicks while Shumpert recovers from a dislocated shoulder. Although it is not the ideal move, Blatt certainly has the option to start Smith, who was unable to maintain a starting job in New York. Shumpert, on the other hand, is a likely fit at starting guard alongside Kyrie Irving and will undoubtedly help out defensively in the backcourt when he returns to full health. Neither Smith nor Shumpert are particularly wowing and certainly do not solve the problem in the frontcourt, but the combination of the two adds depth to a struggling Cavaliers lineup whose most pressing concern is avoiding any further injuries.

As for the lowly New York Knicks. Well. On a current losing streak of 12 games, they have dropped below the Philadelphia 76ers and are now the worst team in the NBA. Derek Fisher is a has not been able to iron out any kinks in his rookie season at head coach and, even with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, Spike Lee's hometown team has looked horrendous. The season is already a wash and dumping Smith and Shumpert only solves part of the problem. Phil Jackson certainly did not go up big in this trade, but selling high was not quite in the cards. Freeing up cap space was a necessity after a big paycheck was delivered to Anthony this past offseason. Moving forward, the Knicks would do well to rely on future free agents to build a legitimate team that can approach relavancy. Another trade could be in store before season's end, but the Knicks are likely looking ahead to putting this year in the rear view.