Yeah I respect his ring. He was vital to their playoff success and was far more productive than Shaq was in any of the post season series. I think the Heat were counting on him being available for their playoff push and with Zo retiring I wouldn't be surprised to see Riley pull the trigger on the JO deal. They desperately need a big man to balance their offense. Moving Marion also frees up more playing time for Beasley and if they can unload Banks at the same time it frees up more money to spend in 2010.
Do you think Miami would do that deal without unloading Banks? I think that's the only thing that's prevented the deal from going down already.
Marion is only making $17M per season and O'Neal is making $21M, so Banks or James Jones would need to be included. I think Toronto should jump all over this trade and not worry about Banks contract holding it up. Banks is capable of being a productive backcourt player and the Raptors would free up a lot of cap room next summer. I know 2010 is the prize a lot of teams are holding out for, but next summer has some intriguing free agents to compliment Bosh and Calderon. They might even consider bringing Marion back at a discount and then adding one more piece to the puzzle.
