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Shaq Is Traded To The Phoenix Suns
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Shaquille O'Neal has already been traded to the Phoenix Suns, a day after trade talks heated up on Tuesday night when the Heat contacted Shaq's people and informed them of a possible trade deal.
The Suns will send Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami in exchange for O'Neal, who is averaging a career-low 14.2 points and has been sidelined for the past two weeks by a lingering hip injury. Shaq helped Miami win the NBA Championship in 2006.
"It wasn't anything that went on between Shaq and I that would cause this," said Heat Head Coach Pat Riley. "We simply looked at the big picture, where we are today, and we need to build around Dwyane, and everything we do now moving forward is about building around Dwyane."
Wednesday afternoon O'Neal was undergoing a physical required of him to go through with the trade.
It isn't known if O'Neal -- who has two full seasons remaining after this one on his $100 million, five-year contract -- would welcome a trade. It also isn't known if the Heat would seek to add guard Smush Parker, who's been on the inactive list for months because of an unresolved legal issue, to the deal. Otherwise, making a 2-for-1 trade would force Miami to cut another player for roster room. In addition, the key player Miami would receive, Shawn Marion, can opt out of his contract this year.
By possibly freeing themselves of both O'Neal and Marion's salary, it would allow the Heat to pursue some of the free-agents coming out this summer including Baron Davis, Elton Brand and Antawn Jamison, according to CBS4 news partners The Miami Herald.
A four-time NBA champion, O'Neal entered this season talking about how he wanted to win at least one more title, saying his "legacy" wouldn't be complete unless he left the game with at least five rings. In Phoenix he will be teamed up with All-Star guard Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire. The move may radically change the Western Conference, where O'Neal played before coming to Miami.
The Heat have lost 19 of their last 20 games and have the NBA's worst record at 9-37 -- meaning the 2006 NBA champions are almost a lock to miss the postseason. Phoenix, meanwhile, entered Tuesday with a 11/2-game lead over New Orleans and Dallas in the race for the best record in the Western Conference.
To this point, O'Neal's year has been largely forgettable.
Miami's record has plummeted, O'Neal is going through a divorce and his scoring average is nearly 11.5 points below his 25.6 career mark. He suffered a bruised hip on Dec. 22 and has missed four of the past five weeks while trying to recover.
It's his second straight difficult season: O'Neal missed much of the 2006-07 campaign with a knee injury and finished that year with career-lows in games (40), scoring (17.3 points), rebounds (7.4), minutes (28.4) and free-throw percentage (.422).
"There were a lot of problems last year, but whenever you start talking about your problems, it turns into excuses," O'Neal told The AP in October, shortly before this season began. "And I've never made an excuse. So you won't ever hear me mention it again, unless of course you ask me. But there were a lot of problems last year."
Marion asked to be traded before the season began but has avoided talk of the subject since then. He is set to make $17 million next season, the final year of his contract, but can opt out of the deal and become a free agent.
Suns owner Robert Sarver said two weeks ago that none of the core players would be traded this season.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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