<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Shaquille O'Neal, 33, will be around for only so long, and the championship window can stay open for only so many years. On Friday, though, Heat president Pat Riley said he'd like that window to stay ajar as long as possible by keeping O'Neal in Miami for the next ``four or five years.'' O'Neal has a clause in his contract that allows him to waive the $30.6 million due to him next season and become an unrestricted free agent. By the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, if O'Neal chooses to opt out of his contract, the Heat can re-sign him for as many as five years (if O'Neal doesn't opt out, the Heat can only extend his contract through 2008).</div> <font size="1">Source: Miami Herald (registration required)</font> The article goes through what might happen, other team issues, comparasions to Kareem (from the age 34-42) and how everything financially starts with Shaq.
