Trades of the Decade: Shaq to the Heat

O'Neal brought Miami their first NBA championship.

by: Cole Riley

Shaquille O’Neal defined his career while with the Los Angeles Lakers. In purple and gold, Shaq won three NBA championships along with grabbing three NBA Finals MVPs. He also won an MVP award in 2000, and was an All-Star 7 out of 8 seasons. So what drove the Lakers to trade him to the Miami Heat?

Complications with fellow teammate, and Hall of Famer to be, Kobe Bryant, over leadership duties, led to the Laker organization coming to a fatal decision - shipping Shaq out of the City of Angels. He was traded on July 15th of 2004 for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a 2005 first-round pick. This exchange was immediately deemed “one of the most landscape-altering trades in NBA history” (AP).

O’Neal went on to make Miami a contender in the East, and in the ‘05-’06 season, got a fourth ring for himself, and a first for superstar D’Wayne Wade. This trade truly changed the franchise plans of both the Heat and Lakers for years to come.

The Lakers struggled after getting rid of their cog in the middle, going 87-77 in the following two season. However, after a few key additions, most notably Pau Gasol, whose trade will be featured later in the week, the Lakers quickly returned to their old form, and recently won their 15th championship, and are back as a perennial contender.

Lamar Odom, who is currently the Lakers 6th man, has been productive in his five full seasons in LA. Averaging 14.1 ppg and 7.4 rpg, Odom has provided some pop at the power forward position, regardless if he’s starting or coming off the pine. Caron Butler, who figured to be the small forward of the future, was traded away after one quick season to the Washington Wizards for hopeful-Shaq-fill-in, Kwame Brown. Well that didn’t work out; let’s just file that under the “Worst Trades in NBA History” file. The rest of the trade included Brian Grant who was gone after a year, and a first round pick, that ended up being Jordan Farmar.

To sum up this incredible trade, and what it means for the Lakers of 2009, LA traded possibly the best center in NBA history for an efficient, yet inconsistent power forward Lamar Odom, a year of Caron Butler that turned into the disaster that is Kwame Brown, a miserable year of Brian Grant, and a disappointing back-up point guard with Jordan Farmar. Good work, LA. You’re lucky Memphis bailed you out by giving away Gasol for nothing.