MIAMI - The trade that would bring Shaquille O'Neal to the Heat cannot become official until today, yet its impact already is resonating across South Florida.
Salespeople at the team's season ticket office couldn't keep up with the volume of calls Tuesday, and a trendy South Beach nightclub said it will set aside a permanent table for O'Neal's nightclubbing needs.
And a group of schoolchildren greeted Heat forward Rasual Butler with a "We want Shaq!" chant.
"Shaq makes players better," Butler said. "I don't know if he's going to make us a better team. That's yet to be seen, but he's definitely the most dominating player in basketball."
The Heat is expected to send Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick to the Lakers in exchange for the 7-foot-1, 340-pound O'Neal, an 11-time All-Star who figures to transform Miami into a championship contender.
The trade is expected to be finalized today after the NBA's two-week moratorium on player movement ends. Team officials have not commented on the trade.
"I'm definitely excited to play with one of the most dominating players in all of team sports, but at the same time it's a difficult transition because we lose Caron Butler, Brian Grant and Lamar Odom," Rasual Butler said. "I had a special relationship with those guys and it's tough to lose them."
At the same time, other players may be eager to join O'Neal in Miami. He becomes as much of a selling point for the Heat as Florida's lack of income tax, the South Beach club scene and winter nights where temperatures in the 60s are considered brisk.
"He's the most dominating player in the league," said Mark Bartelstein, an agent for about 30 players. "Players like to win, and playing with Shaq makes the game easier for everybody. There's something to be said for that."
Bartelstein said he has talked with the Heat about at least three of his free-agent clients, Lakers guard Derek Fisher, Detroit guard Lindsey Hunter and Cleveland forward Eric Williams.
Another free agent, 6-foot-11 center Michael Doleac, agreed Tuesday to a four-year deal worth nearly $12-million. Doleac turned down more money from New Orleans to come to Miami, his agent, Glenn Schwartzman, said.
"He was willing to take a little bit less because he thinks this is the better situation for him," Schwartzman said. "And the lure of playing with Shaquille might have been the difference."
BRYANT UNDECIDED: Kobe Bryant wasn't tipping his hand as the clock ticked down on the final hours of the NBA moratorium.
Eager to learn his choice but uncertain when that decision might come, the Lakers and Clippers awaited word from Bryant or one of his agents.
Both clubs made formal presentations to the free agent guard Monday night.
The end of the moratorium was to coincide with the release of the new salary cap figure for the 2004-05 season, an announcement that will impact the size of Bryant's contract and those of several other free agents.
Meanwhile, Lakers forward Devean George had surgery on his left ankle and probably will miss the beginning of next season. The Lakers said George had bone spurs and fragments removed from his ankle and had ligaments on the outside of his ankle reconstructed and tightened.
NUGGETS: Denver cut rapper Master P from its summer league team. Percy "Master P" Miller, CEO of No Limit Records, was among the players trimmed before practice.
PACERS: Guard Fred Jones had surgery on his left shoulder to repair an injury sustained in May during the team's second-round playoff series against Miami. Jones, a first-round pick in 2002, expects to wear a sling for six weeks and be fully recovered in 12.
PISTONS: Carlos Delfino, the 25th pick in the 2003 draft, reached a contract agreement after completing a buyout with his Italian League team. Delfino, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward who is likely to play for Argentina in the Olympics, is expected to sign with the defending NBA champion by today.
T'WOLVES: Point guard Troy Hudson has tentatively agreed on a multiyear contract, agent Bill Neff said. Neff said details were being worked out with team vice president Kevin McHale. Hudson was the team's top free-agent priority even though a severely sprained ankle limited him to 29 games last season and kept him out of the playoffs.
WARRIORS: Owner Chris Cohan announced an agreement to sell 20 percent of the club to a group of Bay Area investors.
OBITUARY: Five-time All-Star Rudy LaRusso died Friday in Los Angeles after a long fight with Parkinson's disease. He was 66. The power forward helped the Lakers reach the NBA Finals three times in the early 1960s. He averaged 15.6 points and 9.4 rebounds over a 10-year career.
