NBA Notebook | Warriors, Pacers make 8-player deal

OAKLAND, Calif. — Almost every player involved in the Indiana Pacers' eight-man trade with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday is likely to welcome the change of scenery.

The Pacers traded Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson to Golden State for forwards Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy in a large, bold deal to shake up two struggling teams.

The Pacers also sent guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and forward Josh Powell to the Warriors, who gave up forward Ike Diogu and guard Keith McLeod. According to Chris Mullin, the Warriors' vice president and a former player for both teams, the wholesale shuffle will benefit everyone involved.

"This is a situation where both teams feel good about what's going to happen," Mullin said. "They're all key components. All these guys that are in the deal, they're going to have good roles with their new teams."

Murphy, Dunleavy and Diogu had been reduced to high-priced backups for failing to produce more in new coach Don Nelson's offensive-minded system. Both Murphy and Dunleavy have hefty contracts that allowed Golden State to finish the deal with significantly less financial impact than the Pacers.

"I think this makes us more athletic," Nelson said. "I was looking for a little more dominance in my players, and I think this gives us that look."

Harrington, the most accomplished player in the trade, struggled to get comfortable alongside Jermaine O'Neal in his first season back with Indiana. Meanwhile, Jackson has been dogged by legal troubles and attitude problems all season, embarrassing the club with an early season fight at a strip club and a spat with coach Rick Carlisle last month.

"I think he was in a difficult environment for him," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said of Jackson, who averaged 14.1 points this season. "No matter what he was going to do, he wasn't going to outlive that environment. So I think it's good for him to go to another city and start fresh, and I think it's good for our team as well."

Shaq's return to Heat might

be imminent, possibly today

MIAMI — Shaquille O'Neal has vowed not to resume playing for the Miami Heat until his surgically repaired left knee is "1,000 percent."

He's almost there.

O'Neal went through an entire practice on Wednesday, his first time playing full-court, five-on-five since the Nov. 19 procedure to repair torn cartilage. And he could make his comeback today, when the Heat hosts the Indiana Pacers.

"We'll see where I'm at in the morning, how I feel and make a decision," O'Neal said.

Notes

• Tracy McGrady sat out the Rockets' game against Phoenix because of soreness in his lower back. He said he'll be ready for the Rockets' next game, against Denver on Saturday.

"I'm not concerned about my back at all," McGrady said. "It tightened on me [Tuesday] and we're just taking the precaution to not go out and try to rush back. I have a few days to rest, get some treatment and I'll be back Saturday."

• Washington coach Eddie Jordan was fined $15,000 by the NBA for failing to leave the court Saturday in a timely manner after getting ejected from the Wizards' 93-80 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.