Hot Tub Trade Machine: Shaquille O'Neal To the Phoenix Suns

Remember the glory days?

When the big sheriff ran the big city with his deputy gunner by his side all the way to the NBA Finals?

No, I’m not talking about Shaq and Kobe.

But O’Neal and Wade.

Back when Shaquille O’Neal was the big show in South Beach, things were good for Dwyane Wade.

He won an NBA championship, he had a budding T-Mobile spokesman career, he had it all.

Then Shaq began to deteriorate and with him, the Heat.

The Big Aristotle was subsequently dealt to the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat have looked like a mere shell of themselves ever since.

It is easy to look past this as a trade that was nothing more than a necessary move to break ground in the post-title rebuilding process, but let’s not dismiss it that quickly.

Shaq’s move to the desert was regarded by many as the final dismal stop to a once brilliant career.

Marred by injuries, Shaq’s remaining year and a half in Miami saw his numbers dip tremendously.

But he showed some signs of life in 28 games in Phoenix the rest of the way in 2008 and came back last year to re-assume the role of Superman.

Or close enough to what we can expect Superman to look like at age 36.

In a roundabout way, the Heat traded Shaq for Jamario Moon and Jermaine O’Neal by way of Phoenix. (Marcus Banks and Shawn Marion bridged the gap between Miami and Toronto)

That is no way to treat a living legend.

The Heat went on to finish with the worst record in the NBA that year, giving them a fantastic shot at a chance to rebuild around Wade with a high lottery pick.

Needless to say, the Heat were destined to take part in the lottery at the conclusion of the season anyway, so the dealing of an already insignificant Shaq likely did not alter their place in the standings.

However, if the Heat had ended up with a different pick in the top five, likely the third through fifth pick, the state of Miami basketball would be worlds apart from the weakest fifth-seed showing ever that they put on this season.

Combine the retention of O’Neal, the potential drafting of Russell Westbrook, and the extreme emergence of Dwyane Wade as one of the league’s premier superstars and the Heat could have made some serious noise last season.

The Celtics were beyond beatable with no KG, the Cavs didn’t (and still don’t) have the right type of support for LeBron, and the Magic are coached by Stan Van Gundy.

Basically, the Heat could have run the joint in the ’09 Playoffs.

But they didn’t have Westbrook.

And more importantly, they didn’t have a rejuvenated Shaquille O’Neal, who was busy posting his best season since ’05-’06, leading the league in field goal percentage and adding  17.8 ppg in a shocking 75 games, the most he had played all decade .

And now?

Miami finds itself with no answers.

A mercurial Michael Beasley is not exactly a figure to build around.

Shaq got to play with The King this season, albeit to an unsuccessful end.

And Dwyane Wade could potentially be on his way out to greener pastures via free agency.

Do the math.

They should have held onto Shaq.