Heat swap Marion to Raptors for Jermaine O'Neal
MIAMI -- Shawn Marion's most memorable play with the Miami Heat was his last.
Hours after Marion's last-second dunk lifted the Heat past the Chicago Bulls, he was traded Friday to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NBA had yet to sign off on the deal, which also had Marcus Banks and cash considerations going to Toronto and Jamario Moon and a conditional draft pick to Miami.
The proposed trade was first reported by ESPN.com.
Miami and Toronto discussed the long-awaited deal for weeks and, with the trade deadline looming Wednesday, decided to move forward. Miami also was linked to trade talk with several other teams, including Phoenix and Sacramento.
Neither the Heat nor the Raptors had any immediate comment. NBA officials must approve the trade, which typically happens by conference call, and it was unclear if that would occur later Friday.
Marion -- whom Miami acquired just over a year ago from Phoenix for Shaquille O'Neal -- was referred to by both Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and president Pat Riley in recent weeks as the team's "second-best player" behind Dwyane Wade.
He took a bounce pass from Wade and dunked with 1.1 seconds left Thursday night, lifting Miami to a 95-93 win and sparking the sort of on-court, chest-bumping celebration that's rarely seen in the regular season.
It was his last hurrah, though, with Miami.
In Phoenix for All-Star weekend, Wade did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade, saying he would wait until the deal was officially announced.
Marion was a key part of Miami's 28-24 start to this season, averaging 12 points (third on the team behind Wade and Michael Beasley, who now could replace him in the starting lineup at small forward) and a team-best 8.7 rebounds.
But he wanted a long-term contract, something Miami was not willing to provide.
One of Miami's primary areas of concentration, just like every other team in the NBA, is keeping cap space clear for the summer of 2010, when the likes of Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh can be free agents.
And this trade clears another $4.8 million in cap room for that summer; that's what Banks, who had fallen out of the rotation in Miami, would have been owed in the 2010-11 season.
Plus, it gets Miami a true center in Jermaine O'Neal. The 30-year-old averaged 13.5 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, but has been slowed by injuries. He's owed nearly $23 million next season, but that money won't affect Miami's free-agent plans for 2010.
Miami has played an array of players at center this season, including Jamaal Magloire, Joel Anthony, Mark Blount and even Udonis Haslem, a forward who gives up several inches in height and at least 20 pounds to every other true center in the NBA.
Banks averaged 2.6 points in 16 games with Miami this year. Moon averaged 7.3 points in 54 games with Toronto, and becomes a free agent after this season.