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.

‘Real honour’

“Shaq is an incredible ballplayer and a four-time NBA champion,” James said in a statement sent to The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I have a lot of respect for him and his game. It will be a real honour to play with Shaq.”

The Cavaliers will be O’Neal’s fifth team in his 17-year career, and his fourth since 2004. He has been partners with some of the best perimeter players of the era, including Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Penny Hardaway. Now O’Neal will wind down his career next to one of the most talented players in NBA history.

In Cleveland, James is known as the Chosen One and his fans as “witnesses.” O’Neal will now be the most significant face in the crowd, the Big Witness.