By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Phoenix Suns made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Heat. They have sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami in exchange for future NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal.
The move was seen as a major gamble for the Suns’ front office. Due to O’Neal’s age, this trade may not work out for them. Only time will tell if it works out in their favor.
Phoenix not only gets a huge presence in the center position. But O’Neal brings a wealth of experience to the team.
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He is a four-time NBA Champion and has made the All-Star team fourteen times in his career. O’Neal is one of the most dominant players in the history of the league.
Before this trade, O’Neal appeared in 33 games with the Heat. He made all 33 starts.
This season, he was averaging 14.2 points per game at the time of the deal. He also averaged 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game in 28.6 minutes per contest.
Marion had been with the Suns since the 1999-00 season before this trade. He had appeared in 47 games before the deal. He started all 47 games.
He had been averaging 15.8 points per game. Marion was also averaging 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game with the Suns.
Banks is just a cap filler in the deal. He has been a reserve for the majority of his career.
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He has not started more than 29 games in his career. During the 2005-06 season, he started 28 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Banks also started one game with the Boston Celtics that season.
This season; however, he has appeared in 24 games. He made just one start.
He was averaging 5.2 points per game at the time of the deal. He also had 0.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 12.9 minutes per game.
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