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There’s a lot of head scratching going on today across the NBA universe, as people question the wisdom of the Phoenix Suns bringing Shaquille O’Neal back to the Western Conference in a monumental deal that sends Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami. While I agree with management’s assesment that they weren’t good enough to win as constructed (and have nothing but their cash conscious moves to blame for it), it requires an awful lot of wishful thinking for the Suns to think this deal makes them a championship team. Wishing for Shaq to work in their system, wishing for him to find better defensive form than he’s displayed of late, and wishing he’ll stay healthy enough to do either one.

But while local interest in the ReDieselification of the Pacific is centered around how it will impact the Lakers and their Pau-fueled title hopes, the fallout could extend beyond the purple and gold straight to the red, white, and blue. In his column Wednesday morning, the Miami Herald’s Dan LeBatard suggested the deal could create an opening for the Heat to make another run at Elton Brand:

“Marion is a rental — rent to buy, possibly. But now Riley will be able to have the money to woo someone like Elton Brand this offseason in what is an overwhelming free-agent class.

It becomes a quick fix for Riley amid yet another overhaul. Wade, Brand and possibly the upcoming No. 1 pick make up a young and formidable core, and you can rest assured that Riley is just getting started once a tumbling Shaq triggers the start of this avalanche. Riley has the expiring contracts of Ricky Davis and Jason Williams, plus a valuable chip in Udonis Haslem, with which to play.

Brand would love to be here. He already signed here once before Wade. He was mesmerized by South Beach and the classy way he arrived at a recruitment dinner without a belt, and Riley immediately sent in an assistant with an assortment of Gucci options.”

LeBatard is correct- the ‘08 FA class is loaded.The list of potential unrestricted players includes Brand, Marion, Corey Maggette (more on that in a minute), Jermaine O’Neal, Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Ron Artest, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, and Allen Iverson. Among the restricted FAs? Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Daniel Gibson, Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, and Juan Carlos Navarro. That’s a lot of dudes. Not all will hit the market, of course, but enough will. Add to that a limited amount of teams with available cap space, and it’s hard to predict exactly what will happen.

But no matter what, if Brand shows he’s healthy over the final 20 games of this season and then opts out, he’s very likely the top available player. And if Marion goes, too, suddenly there are two more teams with serious cap room. Math, and especially cap math- wasn’t my major, but in that situation, Miami would have about $36 millionor so in salary obligations for ‘08-’09 (taking into consideration cap holds for draft choices, etc.), while the Clippers, assuming Maggette goes (and, despite the undying affection of Donald Sterling and a relationship with Mike Dunleavy that, at least on the surface, has improved, does anyone think he’s sticking around?) will have a little over $30 mil on the books.

Here’s where it could get fun. While Brand is by all accounts a fan of L.A. and has shown some faith in the organization, the team is not anywhere close to the top of the Western Conference, and isn’t likely to get there soon. Miami is craptastic right now, but who would you rather entrust to rebuild your franchise, Sterling or Pat Riley? Remember, Brand went to Duke. He’s no fool. And Riley’s ability to move Shaq in the first place shows this rebuilding thing may be within his power. The Clippers, on the other hand, have been here before.

A lot.

Ironically, if Maggette and Brand both leave, it creates a star vacuum in L.A. that could be filled perfectly with… Shawn Marion. Chris Kaman is having a top shelf season, but he doesn’t really have the makeup or star quality to be the face of a franchise. Marion, on the other hand, has always felt overshadowed in Phoenix, has been linked to to L.A. before (via Lamar Odom trade rumors) and is itching for a chance to get paid, and be The Man. While the former is never a guarantee because Sterling, even the seemingly new and improved version, is never a lock to open up the coffers, if Marion landed in Clipperland, he’d certainly be the latter.

Sure, all of this comes way down the road, and it’s more speculative than commodities trading.

But it doesn’t require that much imagination, either… and it’s a lot of fun to kick these sorts of scenarios around, right?

Brian Kamenetzky hosts the Lakers Blog and Blue Notes: A Dodgers Blog for the LA Times.com. He’s a contributing writer to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and can be heard regularly on the Steve Mason Show, on 710 ESPN radio in LA. Write him at bk@sportshubla.com.

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