Shawn Marion, Jermaine O'Neal Deal: A Fantasy Exclusive

ESPN reports that the Heat have worked out a trade to send Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Raptors for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon. It's a trade we all heard was going to happen for weeks, but they finally found a way to make the deal happen. 


Fantasy Effect

Well, Shawn Marion was not producing at his old level with the Heat this year. I would expect his value to spike, but not to reach the epic levels he did with the Suns' run-and-gun style. 

For all of those that drafted Mike Beasley, this is a good day for you. With Marion gone, Beasley should be getting more looks at the forward spot, as I expect O'Neal to be the starting center (when his knees allow). 

Andrea Bargnani will now be the starting center for the Raptors. I assume they will go with a huge lineup of Marion at small forward, Bosh at power forward (when he's healthy again), and Andrea at center.

But anyone who knows Andrea knows he plays Dirk-like, or Rasheed, or Okur, so expect more of those solid rebounds mixed with a handful of treys in his stat-line. My prediction is 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists, along with 1.5 three-pointers made a night. This is a huge value spike and I would advise grabbing him if you can. 

Jermaine O'Neal's value is still about the same. While Shaq's numbers jumped this year with a new team (after getting traded from the Heat last year), the boost wasn't immediate.

Furthermore, we just don't know how much gas is left in Jermaine's tank (or the millage on his knees!) so we have a classic wait-and-see situation. 

Jamario Moon will also be about the same value. Will he start at small forward with Beasley at power forward? Maybe. Will Beasley be the three and Haslem be the four? Probably. But it's a coin flip, and something the team will probably toy with for a little bit before they get it right. 


P.S. On a personal note why couldn't this deal happen yesterday—before Marion got a game-winning dunk on my Bulls?

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