If the deal to send Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn “The Matrix” Marion and Marcus Banks goes down (at this point only a Shaq physical stands in the way), both teams could stand to benefit largely.

But, of course, there is a caveat.

In order for the Suns to benefit from this deal, “Shaq Daddy” has to be in as close to his 2004 playing shape — when he helped Miami come within one Dwayne Wade rib injury short of a championship title — as physically possible. Of course, Shaq is no spring chicken (he turns 36 in March), so getting into excellent shape could prove to be a daunting task. To give Phoenix fans a ray of hope here: one motivating factor for Shaq would be getting the chance to battle for Pacific-division lead against his old buddy and pal (Ha.), Kobe “I used Shaq’s name in a failed attempt to justify my own infidelities” Bryant. Somewhere deep down, a fire still burns inside The Big Aristotle to show up his ex-teammate one more time by winning a 2nd championship in his “post-Kobe years.” (Tally - Shaq: 1, Kobe: 0)

The Miami Heat will benefit immediately (granted, the only direction their team can go right now is up, right?) by acquiring Shawn Marion, one of the most underrated forwards in the NBA. Marion is a smart hustle player who is one of the league’s best defenders who can also contribute on the offensive end. As we have seen with the most recent Spurs dynastic run, defense wins championships. The Heat would be moving in the right direction (See: last parenthesis) if they plan on making a title-run any time soon.

Assuming the “plus side” scenario of the aforementioned caveat rings true, NBA fans can look forward to some much-needed excitement headed into the second half of the season.

The Shaq deal, paired with the Lakers’ huge deal for Paul Gasol (A hellova move, I might add), makes the Pacific division one to pay even closer attention to — if you weren’t already.