Marion to Dallas or Toronto?

The idea that Miami would send Shawn Marion to Toronto before the Feb. 19 trading deadline is a natural on multiple levels and, according to one insider, has been "circulating for awhile." But ongoing discussions toward a possible Marion-for-Jermaine O'Neal trade, according to NBA front-office sources, are not the only talks Pat Riley is having these days. Source: ESPN.com

Plugged-in sources say that Riley wants to see how O'Neal, who only returned to the Raptors' lineup Friday, holds up physically in a handful of games before taking the discussions any further. And as stated above, sources indicate that there are other teams in contention for Marion, most notably Dallas in a trade that would feature Josh Howard going to Miami for Marion. Source: ESPN.com


Howard obviously isn't a center, but the 28-year-old would appear to fit better alongside Wade and rookie Michael Beasley than Marion, since he wouldn't cut into Beasley's minutes at power forward like Marion sometimes does. Howard also has a contract that fits into Miami's long-range plans, with a salary of $10.4 million this season, $11.4 million next season and a team option for 2010-11 at $12.3 million. Acquiring Howard now would give the Heat almost a season and a half to gauge how he functions as a Wade sidekick, with no obligation to slice into their future salary-cap space if they don't like how it looks. Because its original three-way deal with Charlotte and Oklahoma City featuring Raymond Felton unraveled last week, Dallas still has Jerry Stackhouse's virtual expiring contract ($7 million this season, only $2 million guaranteed next season) to facilitate such a swap. A package of Howard and Stackhouse works for Marion cap-wise. Source: ESPN.com

O'Neal, according to sources and various Internet reports, has told friends and acquaintances that he expects to be dealt to Miami. League sources tell the Star that nothing is expected to happen in the next 24 or 48 hours and it could be more than a week before any deal is finalized. The Raptors have a home game against Phoenix today and start a three-game road trip in Atlanta tomorrow; the Heat played last night and today and begin a four-game homestand on Wednesday. One thing is certain, and that is the Raptors are shopping the 30-year-old O'Neal, who played Friday night for the first time in 10 games in Toronto's loss to the Indiana Pacers after missing nine games with a knee injury. Source: Toronto Star


The irony is this: The Heat will have wound up trading Shaquille O'Neal for Jermaine O'Neal, who actually earns more money over the same span as Shaq. Right now, Shaq is better. While the inside word is the Heat wants to make sure Jermaine is healthy, one can't help but wonder if Marion's recent play also isn't creating some second-guessing. Saturday was his third consecutive double-double. One thing to know: Udonis Haslem said he is beyond the acrimony that had festered for years between himself and Jermaine. He said he now views O'Neal as someone making an honest effort to prolong his career. Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel