For the third time in four years, Shaquille O’Neal is on the move, rumbling across the NBA landscape, forcing adjustments, reassessments and revisions from coast to coast. The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns in a stunning trade that will have ramifications across the league.

The deal sparked a swift reaction from Orlando Magic, who acquired guard Vince Carter from the Nets hours after O’Neal’s move was confirmed.

Powerful tandem

O’Neal, a 15-time All-Star, will join LeBron James, the league’s reigning most valuable player, to form one of the most powerful tandems in the league. The Cavaliers won an NBA-best 66 games last season, but were missing star power, or reliable scoring, beyond James. That will no longer be a problem. Even at 37, O’Neal remains a threat in the low post. He averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Suns last season, played in 75 games (his highest total in four years) and was named to the all-NBA third team.

“Our goals are aligned with what our players want, including LeBron, and that’s to win a championship and win it next year,” Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said. “We don’t want to be patient.”

With O’Neal, Cleveland has an answer to Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who bulldozed through the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. James’s championship dreams were crushed in Game 6 of that series, and he left the arena in a deep funk, without congratulating the Magic or speaking to the media. The depression that settled over Cleveland in late May has now cleared.

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