Why the Knicks Should Trade for Tracy Mcgrady

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post;

A source said the Knicks would like to see if McGrady is someone to consider re-signing in July. At least they’d have a fallback candidate if McGrady excels and they are unable to land one of the top free agents, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade.

This is how I’ve felt all along. There are no guarantees the Knicks sign one of the superstar free agents this summer. Lebron, Wade and Chris Bosh, who are known to be the top three free agents of the class, may choose to sign elsewhere. 

Trading expiring contracts for McGrady makes sense. Look at it this way; How can it hurt? The Knicks will trade expiring contracts in exchange for McGrady’s expiring contract.

The Knicks aren’t exactly “playoff bound” right now. It’s not like they are firing on all cylinders with their current roster. Shake things up. Bring in T-Mac and have him audition for a new contract this summer in case other plans fall through. His contract is wiped off the books after the season so if he doesn’t play well then let him walk. No harm, no foul. For those of you who will argue that McGrady will hurt the progress of the Knicks young players, there are under 40 games left in the season. How much can happen in that amount of games?

If LeBron and Wade don’t choose the Knicks, McGrady impresses during the rest of this season, and the finances work out, the Knicks could team McGrady up with another really good free agent or two this summer. The Knicks could possibly pair McGrady with a point guard like Raymond Felton or a power forward like Carlos Boozer. There are several different ways the Knicks could go with McGrady.

At least bring McGrady in for the rest of the season just to see if he still has it. He was such a good player, the Knicks might as well test him. The problem I foresee is his age. He turns 31 in May. This is arguably the best free agent class in NBA history and has incredible young talent entering their prime. LeBron is 25 and Wade is 27. But if those guys are gone, a 31-year old McGrady will have to do.

To clarify, by no means am I saying the Knicks should sign McGrady before LeBron or Wade and a few other free agents sign. Agreeing with Marc Berman’s source, the Knicks need a back-up plan in case free agency goes terribly wrong. McGrady could be part of that plan.

I’ve been in favor of the Knicks bringing a good player with an expiring contract in before the trade deadline for quite a while. I would have liked to see them pursue Amare Stoudemire or Ray Allen just to have something to fall back on. Rent-a-player and try to re-sign them along with another stud free agent if the coveted players don’t sign in New York.

LeBron or Wade may not be coming. It’s a harsh reality for Knick fans. There’s still hope, however, that the Knicks can come out successful from free agency and have a team that will contend in the near future.