Rumored Shaq trade on the table to send him East

[WayOutWest]

Local SoCal paper and radion station is reporting that a deal between the Lakers and Heat is being hammered out.

Miami gets Shaq for Grant and Odom.  There are money issues that need to be resolved so some filler will need to be included, the deal breaker is that L.A. is also asking for Dwane Wade and the Heat are balking at the idea.  No doubt Shaq will sell tickets that Wade cannot but they are truely gutting their roster just to get Shaq.  

Could you imagine:
Payton
E Jones
Butler
Malone
Shaq

IMO that's better than last years Laker team but Malone and Payton are now damaged goods, expecially Malone.

[jn]

This would be great for Shaq.  He could resume his acting career with Heat head coach Ron Jeremy.  

[WayOutWest]

Here is a copy of the article:

Shaq must go, Lakers conclude

CHANGES: A deal with Miami is a possibility, Tomjanovich is coming, and Kobe is a wild card.

02:11 AM PDT on Thursday, July 8, 2004

By BRODERICK TURNER / The Press-Enterprise

The Lakers, on the verge of signing Rudy Tomjanovich as their new coach, have come to the conclusion that they must try to "deal" Shaquille O'Neal since he won't relent on his trade demands, team sources said Wednesday night.

Sources said Lakers owner Jerry Buss is willing to trade O'Neal, whom Buss grew angry at back during training camp in Hawaii in October when he yelled at Buss, "Now you gonna pay me," during an exhibition game.

"Just like the coach deal with Phil (Jackson) being let go, Dr. Buss thinks it's time to deal Shaq," a team source said.

Sources say Lakers owner Jerry Buss is ready to trade Shaquille O'Neal (above).

Lawyers for Tomjanovich and the Lakers were working on the details of a deal for him to replace Phil Jackson, sources said. The Lakers may make an announcement by Friday.

And free agent Kobe Bryant met with four teams, including the Lakers and the Clippers.

Sources said Buss is upset because O'Neal rarely works out during the offseason, comes to camp out of shape - two things Bryant said when he lambasted O'Neal before the regular season - and always wants more money.

Sources said it has been difficult to work a trade for O'Neal because his representatives "shoot down" deals. O'Neal has said he wants to go to a warm weather city. The sources said the Sacramento Kings, a team O'Neal wants to go to, backed out of discussions.

The Lakers have fielded about 17 or 18 offers, narrowed them down to about five or six and are now looking at a deal with the Miami Heat that would include former Clipper Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and probably a first-round draft pick, sources said.

Odom is considered a base-year compensation player, meaning only a portion of his $9 million salary for next season is available. But all of it can be used by July 14. Grant makes $13.2 million.

The Lakers would like rookie sensation Dwayne Wade, but the Heat won't part with him, sources said.

"It's not going to be a fair deal all the way around," a Lakers source said.

To make any deal work, the Lakers would have to come within 15 percent plus $100,000 of O'Neal's $27.6 million salary for next season.

Buss doesn't want to give O'Neal, a three-time MVP of the NBA Finals, the two-year, $60 million extension he wants.

Tomjanovich tried to contact O'Neal, sources said, but had no luck. The league sources said O'Neal left a message for Tomjanovich.

"I just feel terrible for Rudy because I wanted to play for him," O'Neal said. "But I ain't coming back there."  

[JoMal]

They still were talking about "Shaqramento" and "Old Shaq" on this morning's sports talk radio program here in ShaqTown..er...Sactown.

Realistically, it would take half of the players under contract to the Kings in a trade to make any type of deal. While not having any cap room hasn't prevented Petrie from pulling off a major trade when least expected (the Brad Miller trade was kind of sneaky), this would be too monumental even for him to manage.

I don't blame the Heat for refusing to include Wade in any trade. It would be pointless if they did that, because there would really be no one around Shaq to make the Heat competitive enough for serious playoff consideration. You only trade for Shaq if you have the other pieces in place to make a serious playoff run....or if you just want a headliner to justify ticket increases for a mediocre team.