The deal is done and the Jermaine O'Neal era with the Raptors — short and not too sweet — is over.
The Raptors have dealt the veteran centre along with Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, a deal that gives Toronto some financial flexibility this summer and one they hope injects some defence, rebounding and athleticism to a team free-falling through the NBA Eastern Conference standings.
Toronto is also sending a conditional draft pick to the Heat and getting cash considerations in return, according to league sources.
Marion, 30, is a 6-7 forward who has averaged 12 points and nine rebounds for the Heat this year, starting 36 games and averaging 36 minutes per game. In his 10th NBA season — he spent eight years in Phoenix and about one full season in Miami — he is a free agent this summer after a contract that pays him $17,810,000 this year.
Because his deal is expiring, the Raptors will have significant room under the salary cap next summer to make moves — free-agent signings or obtaining players in trades — to shore up a team that looks hard-pressed to even qualify for the playoffs this year.
But if Marion can provide defence and rebounding at the small forward position for the final 27 games of the season, it may be just the boost the Raptors need.
Marion should be in uniform when the Raptors face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and it's likely he would start joining Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani in what could develop into a potent front line.
O'Neal leaves after just over half a season with the Raptors during which he missed almost a quarter of the team's games with a series of injuries. Obtained in a multi-player summer deal that saw T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic leave Toronto, the 6-11 centre was slowed by two separate knee injuries that limited the number of games he could play and his effectiveness when he was on the court.
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