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In what will be the hottest trade in the NBA this year (if by the names of the two dealing teams only), Pat Riley and the Miami Heat are prepared to send ailing 14-time All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal back to the Pacific Division to battle Kobe Bryant and the Lakers for supremacy as a member of the run-n-gun Phoenix Suns. In return, Steve Nash & Co. will be giving up one of fantasy basketball's top producers over the last half decade, Shawn Marion, along with fellow ex-Runnin' Rebel, Marcus Banks.

The trade will have serious ramifications just past the midway point in the fantasy season. First, today we find out just how hurt O'Neal's troublesome hip is. Should he not pass the physical in Phoenix, thus allowing the trade to go through, he might be sidelined for much more time than the few weeks originally expected. In that scenario, Marion, already not happy being the third most relevant player on his team, may go into a funk playing for a team that obviously doesn't want him anymore. 

However should O'Neal pass the physical, a series of fantasy dominoes fall. First, O'Neal becomes much more attractive offensively, basically becoming the Suns' top halfcourt option on offense and opening up much more space on the perimeter for the three-point shooting of Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa, both of whom will see their value rise. Also becoming an attractive option will be the inconsistent Boris Diaw, who'll see probably a 10 minute rise per game time since O'Neal needs more bench time than Marion will.

In South Florida Marion moves up the status ladder to become his team's second best player, behind Dwyane Wade, but leaves Miami with almost no low-post presence. With a starting lineup of Wade, Banks, Marion, Udonis Haslem and Mark Blount, there won't be too many points designed to be scored in the paint in the half-court. In fact Pat Riley has really never operated without a top center, so look for him to disappear from the sideline in a hurry as well. Look for Marion's scoring and rebounding to actually improve although his steals and blocks should suffer since he'll be forced to man up more often, abandoning his former help-defense philosophy. His field goal percentage will also take a hit with added shots that he'll have to earn outside of the Suns fast break attack.

The biggest gainer should be Banks who's averaging just 12.9 minutes per game but has been a starter before, three years ago in Minnesota, and could provide a more stable presence at the point than the oft-injured Jason Williams. Given 35 minutes per game, he's a threat for 14 points and six assists per game.