Tracy McGrady Closer To Finding New Team

By: Stephen Patterson

Free agent Tracy McGrady is beginning to receive interest from several teams, and has said he hopes to land with the Clippers, Bulls, or Heat. McGrady, coming off three injury-riddled seasons, is hoping to get the chance to revive his career with a new team this season. Due to injuries to his left knee, McGrady has been limited to only 65 games over the past three years.

McGrady took a physical with the Clippers on Tuesday, and worked out with the franchise yesterday. While GM Neil Olshey said the team was just doing "due diligence" in working out the former All-Star, he was said to be impressed with the workout. He didn't go out and say he would be signing T-Mac, but it is a good sign for him that his knee is at least holding up during workouts.

The Clippers have a hole in their starting line-up at small forward, and while it's not McGrady's primary position, he could make the move if it becomes his only available option. If the team does decide to give him a chance, it is expected they will only offer T-Mac a one-year contract. That would be the best case for McGrady in Los Angeles, at least with the Clippers, that way he can sign with a contender if he proves he still has a lot left in the tank.

The Bulls and McGrady have long had mutual interest and he will meet with Chicago early next week. The team explored drafting McGrady out of high school, but the move fell apart when Michael Jordan vetoed moving Scottie Pippen to jump up to draft McGrady. Joining the Bulls would give Chicago another scoring threat and bolster their odds of making a deep postseason run next season. While the team missed out on the "Big Three" that landed in Miami, they did land several quality pieces (Carlos Boozer, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer) that will help in their title hunt.

While the Bulls may appear to be most attractive destination for McGrady, I personally think he will end up with the Miami Heat if he can agree to a one-year contract at the minimum. McGrady told reporters last season while with the Knicks that he would re-sign with the team for the veteran minimum for a chance to play alongside LeBron James. If he was willing to do that, I'm pretty sure he would make the same decision to make a move to Miami. 

If McGrady does sign with Miami, it's unlikely he would start on a regular basis, unless the team moved Dwyane Wade to point guard, which I don't see happening unless McGrady reverts back to his 2000-2004 form. There haven't been any meetings scheduled between T-Mac and the Heat to my knowledge, but I would expect Pat Riley to at least be open to giving the 31-year-old former All-Star a glance. McGrady has never succeeded in the playoffs, never even making it past the first round, and would instantly move to a title contender if he signed with the Heat.

Regardless of which team McGrady chooses to sign with, he will need to prove he is comfortable with whatever role is given to him by the team. While some veterans have successfully taken smaller roles in recent years to chase titles, other players (see Iverson, Allen) have whined, moaned, cried, and left franchises because they couldn't accept the fact they are no longer 25 years old and in their primes. I think McGrady will fit in well and adapt to whichever team he chooses to sign with. Barring any more complications with his knee, expect him to be a serviceable player, still capable of exploding on the scoreboard when needed.