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I think the trade is good for both teams. The Suns were not going to win the championship as presently constituted. They tried the last three years and failed. In my opinion, the 2005 Suns were their best hope. They got crushed by the Spurs that year, but that was an incredible Spurs team that beat an incredible Pistons team in the best NBA finals of the decade. Pre-microfracture Amare was a beast!
Marion is a terrific player, but the addition of Shaq increases their chances of winning a Championship. I still wouldn't rate their chances as high, but Shaq over Marion, with the side effect of more minutes for Diaw, is a better playoff roster.
Marion could have opted out after this year, and Banks was a mid-level player (5-6 million a year) who barely played. The Suns have been trying to dump Banks. Shaq at 20 million for 2 more years still doesn't worsen their luxury tax situation with Banks and Marion's salaries off the books. Kerr made a good trade within the financial constraints he has to work with.
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