Heat acquires Jermaine O'Neal, 1st-rounder for Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion's final play as a member of the Miami Heat will be his game-winning dunk with 1.1 seconds left in Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bulls.

But he apparently will prove to be the gift that keeps on giving.

A party involved in the deal confirmed today that the Heat has finalized the long-rumored deal that will send Marion and seldom-used backup point guard Marcus Banks to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for center Jermaine O'Neal and forward Jamario Moon.

In addition, the Heat also will receive a future first-round pick from the Raptors.

According to a party with the details of the deal, the Heat will receive a first-round pick from Toronto in 2010, unless that pick is among the first 14 (lottery) selections.

Should Toronto be in the draft lottery in 2010, in essence not make next season's playoffs, the Heat then would receive a 2010 second-round pick from the Raptors.

The first-round pick then would be sent to the Heat in any year, from 2011 through 2014 that it is not among the first 14 selections (the next year Toronto makes the playoffs).

Should the Heat not get the first-round pick by 2014, it then would receive a 2015 first-round pick from the Raptors.

In addition, the Heat gained a $4 million trade exception in the transaction, which it can use to balance salaries in a deal for the next 12 months. To complete the transaction, the Heat will send cash to Toronto, with $3 million the maximum allowed by the league in such transactions.

The Heat has spent most of this breakthrough season searching for answers in the middle. In Thursday night's victory over the Bulls at the United Center, center Jamaal Magloire, who had started the previous nine games, was benched, with Joel Anthony starting but playing less than 10 minutes.

In addition to adding post-up play and interior defense, the Heat also made the reported trade with an eye on long-term financial matters. O'Neal's contract, which calls for $23 million next season, expires before the July 2010 start of an expected free-agency bonanza. Among players who will be free agents that summer are the Heat's Dwyane Wade, as well as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire.

Moon's contract expires at the end of this season.

With the trade, the Heat will have to find answers at small forward, with Marion having served as its starter at that position. Among options to replace Marion in the lineup are rookie forward Michael Beasley, offseason free agent acquisition James Jones, defensive stopper Yakhouba Diawara or possibly Moon. Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com