O’Neal deal makes no sense
OK, so it has no Minnesota ties, but the trade of Shaquille O’Neal by Miami to the Phoenix Suns makes no sense. And I’m not saying that because I’d rather have O’Neal in Minnesota; at this point, I absolutely would not want O’Neal in Minnesota.
Yes, Shaq’s health has kept him on the shelf most of this season, so I can see how that, plus his $20 million a year makes him a liability for a team that’s competing with the Wolves for the honor of being the worst in the NBA. By jettisoning O’Neal, they are guaranteed to keep losing and perhaps beat Minnesota out for the top pick in the NBA draft. Plus they get rid of that load on the salary cap. Only trouble is, there’s no clear succession plan at center in Miami.
Still, it’s hard to imagine O’Neal’s going to rebound enough this season to make a difference for the Suns, who are getting an old and potentially at the end of his career center who might never regain his former greatness. It loads up their salary cap and robs them of younger players with potentially more upside for the long term.
Sure, it’s a lot like the Garnett trade in some respects. Except it’s not. Garnett is five years younger and in far better health than O’Neal; and the Celtics are the best team in the NBA right now, even despite Garnett sitting out the last three weeks or so with a minor injury. Garnett has five good years left in him; O’Neal may have none left, despite two more years on his contract.
At least the Garnett trade offered a value-for-value deal; I’m not sure either Phoenix or Miami will come out of this one looking like winners.
