( dpa )- It's a done deal: Shaquille O'Neal is leaving South Beach for the desert, after the Miami Heat traded the 14-time All-Star centre on Wednesday to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for small forward Shawn Marion and backup guard Marcus Banks.
"We're thrilled to add a player and person of Shaquille's quality to our roster," said Steve Kerr, the Suns president of basketball operations and general manager. "We believe this addition strengthens our team."
He praised Marion and Banks for their role on the team.
"Shawn in particular has been a tremendous player for this organisation the past eight-and-a-half years and his impact both on and off the court in Phoenix will not be forgotten," he said.
O'Neal and his massive 7-foot-1 (2.2-metre), 325-pound (147- kilogramme ) frame is expected to provide an inside presence on both ends of the floor for the high octane offence of the Western Conference leaders in their quest run for the elusive NBA championship.
A sure-shot future Hall of Famer , O'Neal was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players. He owns a career scoring average of 25.6 points - ninth highest in league history - and 11.5 rebounds during his 16 celebrated seasons.
After leading the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles, O'Neal, was dealt to Miami in 2004. Along with Dwyane Wade, the league's most dominant big man, he took the Heat to its only championship in 2006.
However in just two seasons, the Heat has declined dramatically as Wade and O'Neal battle injuries. Miami currently owns the league's worst-record at 9-38, including 19 losses in the last 20 games.
Slowed by a sore hip, O'Neal is averaging career lows of 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds this season.
O'Neal, who turns 36 in March, is in the third year of a five- year, 100-million-dollar contract, and is owed 20 million dollars in each of the next two seasons.
The Heat said it was excited to receive Marion, who owns career averages of 18.4 points and 10 rebounds while playing all nine seasons with the Suns. The four-time All-Star selection is averaging 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds this season.
Banks was the 13th pick in the 2003 NBA draft and has averaged 6.1 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 289 career games, while shooting 42.6 per cent from the floor in his five seasons with Boston, Minnesota and Suns. He is averaging just 5 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a backup to point guard Steve Nash, a two-time league MVP.