I thought we might be fortunate enough to see February fly by without my least favorite trade rumor rearing its ugly head, but no such luck. I woke up this morning to a Yahoo Sports report (via Hahn and TKB) indicating that Donnie Walsh is back on the prowl for Tracy McGrady. The present rumor is as follows:
The Houston Rockets are in the discussion stages of a complicated, three-team trade that would send Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The centerpieces of the trade would include the Washington Wizards shipping forward Caron Butler and center Brendan Haywood to the Rockets. The Knicks would send Al Harrington to the Wizards. For the Wizards’ part, they would still need another player, as well as a draft pick and cash to make this a workable scenario, sources said.
(Spits on ground)
I don't get it. Please feel free to correct me, but my impression of Tracy McGrady at this point in his career is that he remains a very talented offensive weapon who might be guilty of swallowing the ball, freezing out his teammates, and loafing on defense now and then. Those seem to me like exactly the same qualities that Al Harrington brings to the table, only T-Mac does it with the added bonus of the league's largest salary and the possibility that his back or knees might spontaneously vaporize. Unless Donnie Walsh can find a way to sneak one of his cumbersome contracts into the deal or I'm severely underestimating Mr. Mac, this one reeks of desperation. Even if McGrady was the 23 million-dollar messiah and marched the Knicks to the playoffs, then what? They'd just lose in the first round anyway, and what are they going to do, resign him? Also, what extra player would the Knicks include to balance the salaries? Last time these rumors came up, it was mentioned that Jordan Hill might have to be part of the equation. The addition of a third team might eradicate that demand, but I'm still worried.
I think this trade rumor stanks. Convince me otherwise in the comments.
Update: On second look, this post feels needlessly pithy, which is the peril of blogging before I'm out of bed. I wish the very best for T-Mac. I just don't think he makes sense for the Knicks.