The Phoenix Suns’ trade of forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks for the Miami Heat’s Shaquille O’Neal has been lambasted by fans and sports journalists alike. Pundits from ESPN, the blogosphere and local newspapers met the trade with befuddlement. Fans shared their sentiment: 71 percent of respondents in an ESPN poll said the trade was bad for the Suns.

But, in my opinion, both sides benefited from the deal.

The Heat receives one of the most versatile defenders in the game — Marion will routinely be put on guard. Offensively, he may finally be able to shine in Miami. Despite a career point average in the high teens, Marion has always been overshadowed by his teammates, from Stephon Marbury to Steve Nash to Joe Johnson to Amare Stoudamire. He has never been “the man,” so he has thrived in a support role. But he has yearned to be a leader and, along with Dwayne Wade, he can be that in Miami.

The Heat won’t be making any playoffs runs this year — they have yet to reach 10 wins — but it is a solid investment toward their future. Marion, along with Wade and forward Udonis Haslem, form a solid and fairly young core.

Marion has an opt-out clause in his contract, but, even if he uses it, the Heat will still benefit. If Marion chooses to leave this summer, Miami can clear out a massive amount of cap room — right now, he has the 10th biggest contract in the NBA. With that cash in hand, the Heat can actively pursue young, budding stars and valuable role players. They would have one of the largest budgets in the league.

Let’s also not entirely count out Banks. He’s no star, but he’s a formidable backup who provides a steady hand off the bench.

With or without Marion, Miami is building for the future. But the Suns are a viable threat in the competitive Western Conference now, and they need stability in the post to change their playoff fortunes.

Phoenix runs a fast-paced “run ‘n’ gun” offense. They excel in transition, and Nash and Leandro Barbosa control the offense on the go.

But while that method works in the regular season, it’s failed in the postseason. In the 2005 and 2006 playoffs, the Suns lost in the Western Conference finals, and last year they only made it to the second round. The Dallas Mavericks run a similar attack, and they were ousted by the Golden State Warriors in the first round last year in one of the great playoff upsets of the modern basketball era.

The perennial force in the West, the San Antonio Spurs, run a tight and fundamental half-court offense. So did the East’s former top dog, the Detroit Pistons. It’s not nearly as exciting as the Suns’ or Mavericks’ attacks, but it is far more effective in the playoffs.

In order to succeed, the Suns need to slow their offense down and add defense in the post. Marion is an excellent defender, but he isn’t a traditional, low-block stopper like the Spurs’ Tim Duncan or the Pistons’ Rasheed Wallace.

Enter Shaq.

Even in his later years, O’Neal is still a post threat on both sides of the ball. Marion preferred to roam around the court, which gave the Suns two forwards (with Stoudamire) that were better away from the basket.

But now Shaq will match-up directly with the Duncans of the world, both on offense and on defense. Phoenix’s attack feed into him in the post, which frees up Stoudamire at mid-range and Nash and Barbosa on the perimeter. And on defense, the Suns finally have a true stopper. Shaq remains one of the biggest men in the game — there will be no easy buckets for opposing post players.

The Suns can still run-n’-gun when Shaq takes his much-needed breaks. In short bursts in the playoffs, it can be effective. But when O’Neal is in the game, Phoenix can slow everything down, and Shaq can bang through worn-out opponents as his teammates spread the rest of the court.

Shaq certainly has lost a step — he’s no longer the first option that he was for so much of his career — but he is far from done. While this is certainly a short-term solution for the Suns, it instantly makes their team more viable for immediate postseason success.

Phoenix hedged their bets to capitalize on the present. With Shaq on their side, a championship becomes increasingly more attainable.