If we’re to believe the Big Buzz … he’s the biggest and most expensive package of damaged goods ever on the NBA trade market and on the verge of being dealt.

He is Shaquille O’Neal, and if it’s true that the Phoenix Suns are ready and willing to acquire the fading Miami Heat center in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, the Western Conference race just got infinitely more interesting despite the physical problems of the 7-1 O’Neal, who turns 36 next month.

Superficially, it will be a big relief for Heat superstar guard Dwyane Wade to get Marion for help as opposed to the terminally injured O’Neal – and Banks will help their sad point guard situation some. But the story here is about how O’Neal – The Big Question Mark – has any trade value at all as the Feb. 21 trade deadline comes upon us.

Sure, the Suns figure to have a rapidly closing window with the aging of point guard Steve Nash and Grant Hill, plus O’Neal would allow Amare Stoudemire to match up at his more natural power forward position. The move would also presumably allow the Suns to play both their natural speed game and in the halfcourt against the likes of the Spurs, Jazz, Nuggets and Rockets among others in the West.

Then again, that’s assuming a lot … such as whether or not O’Neal can actually fit through the window; and just what could the criteria be for him to pass his physical – considering the hip, knee and ankle problems that have manifested over the years.

So before we get too carried away with this, let’s get realistic for a moment about the Big Fella. He has missed 14 games for the woebegone 9-37 Heat and coach Pat Riley this season and averaged less than 50 games over the previous two seasons.

His 325-pound plus body is suffering the consequences of his 16-year career with hip, knee and ankle problems that have rendered him just a shadow of his former self – although it is that very large shadow that still makes him attractive to the Suns to take a big rip at the wide open 2008 title. Obviously the feeling is if they can prop him up for minor minutes until late in the season, he could be the deciding factor in the playoffs.

Although he has missed so many games, and is averaging a career-low 28.5 minutes more because of foul trouble than anything else, O’Neal still is averaging 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.66 blocks – all of which pales is comparison to his career averages of 25.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Nonetheless, just his sheer physical presence is a big factor in every game, and if you put him in the middle of a team like the Suns, they become that much more frightening in the big picture – on paper.

Outside of the Suns, would anybody else have taken a deal for Shaq seriously?

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has always been intrigued by the possibility of adding him to the middle … how about Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier for Shaq?

And what about the Nets, so intent on dealing Jason Kidd? Would a package of Kidd, Josh Boone or Sean Williams and Boki Nachbar – with Ricky Davis coming back with O’Neal to make the salaries work, be intriguing to both teams?

LeBron James and the Cavs need something else, but O’Neal certainly isn’t it.

The Denver Nuggets, as always, are working the phones hard - but primarily to see if they can get a point guard, such as Kidd or Sam Cassell. They certainly wouldn’t be better off gambling on the Big Question Mark than having Marcus Camby, the reigning defensive player of the year and Kenyon Martin, who is remarkably getting closer every day to being all the way back from a second microfracture surgery.

Everyone likes to look at the Chicago Bulls, because they have failed so miserably this season and they have a slew of young players who aren’t quite cutting it. If so inclined, they can easily throw Ben Wallace’s contract in there with Thabo Sefolosha and either Ben Gordon or Kirk Hinrich. Does that make any sense for the Bulls to get 2½ seasons of Shaq? He’d be the ultimate low-post presence they haven’t had, however diminished his movement may be – but would that make them serious contenders? That would be a big risk, although they’d still have Hinrich or Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. They would be a lot more formidable, and Gordon, Wallace and Sefolosha make the Heat much better as well – provided the Heat can agree to a contract with Gordon.

But it isn’t likely owner Jerry Reinsdorf would commit that $50 million to O’Neal through 2010. In fact, it doesn’t make sense for anybody … almost.

And that brings us back to the Suns, who have had issues with the 29-year-old Marion for years, both in the locker room and over money. Now he wants an extension that will pay him in the $20 million range per season, when the $17 million per he’s making over the next two seasons is a stretch. He has also very often been a disappointment in the postseason offensively, which has hurt them in big games.

On the other hand, there are those who believe he is the lightning rod for the success because he is the guy who gets the loose ball, comes up with the steal, blocks shots and runs the floor better than anyone else on the team.

And they almost won it last season, so is it worth the gamble with quasi-Shaq?

Realistically it makes more sense for the Suns than other teams, if only because Marion’s head and mouth may no longer be worth the internal aggravation And the Suns won’t have to play O’Neal big minutes, just enough to indoctrinate him into the halfcourt offense.

They have reportedly brought in the Big Question Mark for their medical team and the rest of the big shots in the organization to take a good look at his physical condition. But you’d have to think if they peer too closely, it’s only logical they’ll find that to deal a talented young player such as Marion and commit the nearly $10 million left of his contract this season and $20 million in each of the next two years is really a shot in the dark for a guy obviously on his last legs – despite their obvious belief that this is their best chance for a title – which would be O’Neal’s fifth.

The logic is if nothing else they’ve found on the market for Marion is attractive and they have to pay him about the same money as O’Neal, owner Robert Sarver figures it’s worth the risk. That’s a tough call, but it’s his money.