Tracy McGrady was not the big-ticket attraction guaranteed to revive basketball in New York.
When the Knicks went out at the trading deadline in February and swung a three-team deal with Houston and Sacramento for T-Mac, it wasn't to land a superstar, it was to make a salary dump. The Knicks were unloading the massive contract of Jared Jeffries, and they just happened to get back a seven-time All-Star. Pure irrelevant coincidence.
Still one of the most skilled, athletically gifted players in the game, McGrady is only 31 years old. He can still help a team win an NBA title.
McGrady has played 13 seasons in the NBA and has still never won a playoff series. He's ventured into postseason play a total of seven times with three different teams, and the best he's ever done is put up a seven-game fight before exiting in the first round.
But there's still potential — he just needs to find the right situation, the right franchise and the right teammates. So where in the world will he find that?
McGrady has spent his career bouncing around from team to team, struggling to find his identity. In Toronto, he was the kid who could win dunk contests and wow fans, but not much else. In Orlando, he won multiple scoring titles but still struggled with the concept of putting the team first. In Houston, he was supposed to be that final piece that put the Rockets over the top, but it didn't work out that way.
Then he went to New York, where he was the two-month rental with little purpose besides helping the Knicks cut salary.
It's up to him to find a new role with a new team. And he's running out of time to make it count. It's time for him to be a part of a winner. With all those big numbers, all that cash and all that fame, there's still something missing. Where can he win a ring?
The obvious choice is the Lakers. He can come off the bench in L.A. as a backup wing man for Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest. He'd be the perfect fit as a role player and wouldn't be demanding too much attention from opposing defenses. The only question is: Can his ego handle it? If McGrady decides to set aside his personal aspirations and focus on winning, he can give it a go with the two-time defending champions. The Lakers are armed with their midlevel exception and can also swing a sign-and-trade to land T-Mac.
How about the Magic? McGrady can return to the place where he spent the prime years of his career, winning multiple scoring titles and rising to the level of NBA superstar. Matt Barnes is a free agent and might not return; T-Mac would actually have a chance to start in Orlando alongside his cousin, Vince Carter.
Then there are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who found themselves with an opening on Thursday night when LeBron James officially announced his departure to play in Miami next season. If the Cavs are looking for a new alpha dog to carry the scoring load every night, T-Mac could be their guy.
Last but not least, he may consider staying put with the Knicks. If you want to revive your career, there's no better place to do it than the Big Apple. And having Amare Stoudemire as your teammate couldn't hurt, either.
McGrady is running out of time. Years from now, he doesn't want to look back on the summer of 2010 and wonder if things could have turned out differently.
