The Heat have traded center Shaquille O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns for power forward Shawn Marion and point guard Marcus Banks. O’Neal appeared to be slowing down this season and he has gotten into some disputes with Head Coach Pat Riley this season, so the Heat appear happy with this deal. O’Neal played in 32 games (32 starts) this season for the Heat and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.

Shawn Marion is a 29-year old who will likely start at small forward for the Heat. Marion played in 47 games (all starts) this season for the Suns and he was averaging 36.4 minutes, 15.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Marion has now played in 660 games (647 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 37.8 minutes, 18.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Marion also can become a free agent at the end of the season which will leave the Heat with at least $15 million bucks to spend in free agency next season.

Marcus Banks wasn’t used much in Phoenix but he should get a lot more playing time in Miami. Banks played in 24 games (1 start) this season for the Suns and he averaged 12.9 minutes, 5.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Banks has now played in 289 games (35 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 16.7 minutes, 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Join Our Sports Forum Community: BlogLockers.com