Shaq to the Mavs? Fantasy Basketball Impact

Rumors have been circulating recently that Shaquille O’Neal may wind up with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2009-10 NBA season. O’Neal is currently with the Phoenix Suns but there have been rumblings over the last few months that he may be on the move this summer.

Could Shaq and Dirk become teammates? (Image: Newscom)

At age 37, O’Neal is having one of his best seasons of the last half decade. In 30.4 minutes per game, O’Neal is averaging 18 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He’s also shooting a career-high from both the field (61.2%) and his highest free throw percentage (60.5%) since the 2002-03 season.

Since losing against O’Neal and the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavs have fallen a long ways. Currently, they are the eighth seed in the Western Conference and are on a path that will lead them to a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

If they trade for O’Neal in the offseason, the Mavs would get the dominant interior player they’ve always lacked. The two-man tandem of O’Neal and Dirk Nowitzki would be very difficult for any team to defend.

For fantasy basketball purposes, it’d be risky to bank on O’Neal next season. He’s at an age where his skills will likely start declining and on top of that, he hasn’t been a very durable regular season player in recent history. In fantasy leagues that count free throw percentage and turnovers, O’Neal could actually hurt more than help your team.