Trade puts O’Neal back in West

Shaquille O’Neal, the towering presence who guided the Lakers to three consecutive championships, has come west again to an altogether improbable destination -- the run-and-gunning Phoenix Suns.

On Wednesday Phoenix completed a trade with the Miami Heat to land O’Neal, who turns 36 next month and is averaging a career-low 14.2 points this season. The Suns sent disgruntled four-time All-Star forward Shawn Marion, 29, and backup point guard Marcus Banks to the Heat for O’Neal.

It appears to be a direct counter move by the Suns to the Lakers’ trade last week for center-forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies.

A rivalry has developed between the Suns and Lakers -- who were eliminated by Phoenix the last two seasons in the playoffs -- and could be more intense with O’Neal now standing firmly in the path of the Lakers again becoming title challengers.

“I don’t know if [the Gasol trade] precipitated the move or . . . it’s just part of the plan of trying to help themselves out,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said of the O’Neal deal. “The reality is, it changed the complexities of our division. This may be another one of those situations where people are going to have to scramble a little a bit [to keep up].”

O’Neal underwent a physical in Phoenix on Wednesday. He is scheduled to address the media this morning and talked with Suns stars Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire before the deal went through.

O’Neal has missed 15 games this season because of various injuries -- the latest are hip and quad ailments -- and is an unlikely match for the Suns. Their frenetic play, in which Coach Mike D’Antoni advocates taking quick shots, directly contrasts with O’Neal’s often plodding and punishing style.

“Any team he’s on is going to be better,” said Lakers forward Lamar Odom, who was traded to Los Angeles in 2004 as part of the deal that originally sent O’Neal to the Heat. “It kind of surprised me, because I thought [Phoenix] liked their style of play. Now they can play a little more traditional style of basketball.”

O’Neal will apparently have to accept a lesser role and be willing to rebound and play defense against the likes of the Lakers’ Gasol and Andrew Bynum, when he returns from injury, as well as the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan.

Despite the Suns’ fast-paced and popular style of play since Nash rejoined the team in 2004-05, Phoenix has not reached the NBA Finals during D’Antoni’s tenure.

“We decided to make this move because we thought it gave us a better chance to win in the playoffs,” first-year Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. “We thought it was a great opportunity. As soon as it came our way, I went into Mike’s office and said ‘What do you think?’ and he smiled.”

The reaction around the league was a mix of shock and admiration.

“I think probably Kerr and D’Antoni have made one of the gutsiest trades in some time,” said former-NBA-coach-turned television analyst Jeff Van Gundy. “They had the best record in the West and they decided obviously it wasn’t good enough to win a championship.

“Some may see it as utter madness, but it may turn out to be utter genius and the results will tell.”

Said Jerry Reynolds, the Sacramento Kings’ director of player personnel and television analyst: “If Shaq would come in and be reasonably healthy and kind of become like Wilt Chamberlain when he was with the old Lakers, basically defend the post and take nothing but easy shots, rebound and throw it out, it could work.”

The Lakers traded O’Neal to the Heat in 2004 after they lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.

The deal ended a tension-filled relationship between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The two led the Lakers to championships from 2000 to 2002, a period in which they clashed often over shot selection and who was of more value to the organization.

In O’Neal’s second season with the Heat, he helped the team to its first NBA title.

But the Heat is currently saddled with the NBA’s worst record at 9-38 and has lost 20 of its last 21 games. Dwyane Wade, O’Neal’s former teammate, questioned his motivation and Florida newspapers reported that O’Neal’s relationship with Heat Coach Pat Riley was rapidly deteriorating. O’Neal also faced off-the-court issues, with the center recently filing for divorce from his wife, Shaunie.

In his 16-year NBA career, O’Neal has averaged 25.6 points and 11.5 rebounds.

Marion, who averaged 18.4 points and 10 rebounds in his eight-plus seasons with the Suns, asked to be traded before the season and was upset at playing third fiddle to Nash and Stoudemire.

With Marion due $16.4 million this year and capable of opting out after this season, the Suns would have either had to trade him or attempt to lock him into a long-term contract.

O’Neal is in the third year of a five-year, $100-million contract.

The Suns and Lakers have one regular-season game remaining, on Feb. 20 in Phoenix.

“It’s been a good rivalry, now it becomes a great rivalry,” Reynolds said.

Times staff writers Steve Springer in Atlanta and Mark Heisler in Phoenix, and Times wire services contributed to this report.

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com