"Shawn is a piece that should be given an opportunity to fit in with the team," Colangelo said in a conference call last night. "He's not necessarily a rental player. That's not necessarily the case."

Marion, 30, has averaged 12 points and nine rebounds a game with Miami this season. Colangelo is acutely aware of his abilities: Marion spent the first nine years of his career with Colangelo and Phoenix.

"Shawn could be a valuable piece with this team in this system," said Colangelo.

Nevertheless, the Raptors gain some financial flexibility this summer with the move, which has been talked about for almost a month.

Marion's contract - more than $17 million (all figures U.S.) this season - expires in June, while O'Neal carries a price tag of more than $23 million next season. While final figures won't be available until the end of the season, the move could free up more than $10 million for Colangelo to use this summer.

"One of the by-products is future flexibility but ... this is as much about now as the future," said the general manager.

Colangelo envisions a Raptor front line of Marion, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani that provides all the ingredients for a 21-34 team to make a late push for the playoffs. He points to the fact Bargnani was most effective playing alongside Bosh while O'Neal was sidelined with an injury and says Marion should address a gaping hole at the small forward position.

"He (Marion) is one of the better rebounding small forwards in the league when he's at that position," said Colangelo. "At the end of the day, I think you're going to see better flow (with Toronto's offence)."

The 2010 draft pick won't necessarily move to Miami for years. The "protection" put on it means the Raptors won't surrender the choice until the first year they make the playoffs between 2010 and 2015. And by holding on to the pick until 2010, Colangelo has the chance, perhaps in some other transaction, to get back into that draft.

"The pick really was the difference in us not making the deal for a long time," said Colangelo. "(But) picks are readily available. ... It all but guarantees that if we choose to, we can replace the pick."

The cash considerations, an estimated $3 million, won't ease Toronto's cap or tax burden but will just go into general team coffers.

The trade has been in the works for weeks. The Heat used the intervening time to explore other options for Marion - they insisted that a future draft pick be included - but could find no better offers.

O'Neal, whose injury history was a cause for concern, even went to Miami to be checked out by the Heat medical staff. He leaves after just over half a season with the Raptors, during which he missed almost a quarter of the team's games with a series of injuries. Obtained in a multi-player summer deal that saw T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic leave Toronto, the 6-foot-11 centre was slowed by two separate knee injuries that limited the number of games he could play and his effectiveness when he was on the court.

In Banks, the Raptors are getting a 6-foot-2 guard who has failed to impress in Miami. More a scorer than a true point guard, Banks has been buried behind rookie Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn and has appeared in just 16 games.

TORONTO GETS:

Shawn Marion

30 years old, 6-7, 228

Season averages: 12.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 36.1 mpg, in 42 games (41 starts)

Salary: $17.81 million this year, contract expires end of season

Marcus Banks

27 years old, 6-2, 205

Season averages: 2.6 ppg, 1.4 apg, 10.4 mpg in 16 games, zero starts

Salary: $4.26 mil. this season, $4.553 mil' ('09-10), $4.87 mil' ('10-11).

MIAMI GETS:

Jermaine O'Neal

30 years old, 6-11, 260

Season averages: 13.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 29.7 mpg in 41 games, 34 starts

Salary: $21.372 mil' this season, $23.016 mil' ('09-10).

Jamario Moon

28 years old, 6-8, 205

Season averages: 7.3 ppg, 4.6 rebounds per game in 54 games, 39 starts

Salary: $711,517 this year, expires end of season