Shawn Marion, forward for the Miami Heat, has been traded to the Toronto Raptors, along with point guard Marcus Banks, for center Jermaine O'Neal and forward Jamario Moon. Marion has been involved in trade rumors for weeks, a year after being traded to the Heat from the Phoenix Suns. It didn't seem like Marion fit in well with the Heat and star guard Dwayne Wade.
The trade the Raptors made sending O'Neal away comes as a little bit of a surprise but he was definitely on the block and generated interest. It was reported that the Heat were probably going to pursue Suns forward Amare Stoudamire. He is the hottest name out there on the trading block. The Raptors get an expiring contract at the end of the season with Marion and the Heat get O'Neal contract that is done after the 2009-2010 season.
I knew the Heat were going to make this deal but it surprised me a bit when it happened. The night before, against the Chicago Bulls, Marion had the game winning dunk with under five seconds left. Now the Heat get O'Neal, which would help them solidify their front line with Dwayne Wade running the show. Both players are former All-Stars, but both haven't been playing well this season and last season. The Raptors are not benefiting from getting Marion. He doesn't provide them anything and they will suffer even more than they did when O'Neal was there. The Raptors will not make the playoffs and they'll be looking to get his salary off of their hands.
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