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Shaq to re-sign; Eddie Jones out for J-Will?
MIAMI (AP) - Shaquille O'Neal will soon sign a long-term contract to stay with the Miami Heat, a move that can hardly be considered a surprise.
Yet when the league's moratorium on signings formally expires Tuesday at noon EDT, the Heat could quickly find themselves in a barrage of other activity - including a trade that reportedly would send away veteran Eddie Jones and his $14.5 million salary.
Team owner Micky Arison said Monday that O'Neal's deal will become official "within a very short period" following the end of the moratorium, which was pushed back from July 22 to allow attorneys for the league and union to finish drafting a written version of the new six-year collective bargaining agreement.
The Heat are believed to be offering O'Neal a five-year deal worth around $125 million, although neither the team nor the 12-time All-Star center's representatives would comment Monday on financial specifics.
"I can assure you Shaquille will be in a Miami Heat uniform for a very long time," Arison told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Italy.
It's unknown if O'Neal has formally opted out of the final year of his existing contract, one that would have paid him $30.6 million this coming season. Yet that move, whenever it happens, is merely a technicality that allows him to enter into a new deal.
"If Shaq stays in shape, I think he can be a great productive player for us for many, many years," Arison said.
The 7-foot-1, 327-pound O'Neal made an immediate impact during his first season with Miami, which acquired him in July 2004 from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for three players and a draft choice.
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MIAMI (AP) - Shaquille O'Neal will soon sign a long-term contract to stay with the Miami Heat, a move that can hardly be considered a surprise.
Yet when the league's moratorium on signings formally expires Tuesday at noon EDT, the Heat could quickly find themselves in a barrage of other activity - including a trade that reportedly would send away veteran Eddie Jones and his $14.5 million salary.
Team owner Micky Arison said Monday that O'Neal's deal will become official "within a very short period" following the end of the moratorium, which was pushed back from July 22 to allow attorneys for the league and union to finish drafting a written version of the new six-year collective bargaining agreement.
The Heat are believed to be offering O'Neal a five-year deal worth around $125 million, although neither the team nor the 12-time All-Star center's representatives would comment Monday on financial specifics.
"I can assure you Shaquille will be in a Miami Heat uniform for a very long time," Arison told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Italy.
It's unknown if O'Neal has formally opted out of the final year of his existing contract, one that would have paid him $30.6 million this coming season. Yet that move, whenever it happens, is merely a technicality that allows him to enter into a new deal.
"If Shaq stays in shape, I think he can be a great productive player for us for many, many years," Arison said.
The 7-foot-1, 327-pound O'Neal made an immediate impact during his first season with Miami, which acquired him in July 2004 from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for three players and a draft choice.
Read story
