ESPN’s Marc Stein reported Tuesday morning that the Houston Rockets cleared All-Star forward Tracy McGrady to take a leave of absence from the team. McGrady, who has expressed displeasure over his lack of playing time, has apparently asked for a trade. Houston is willing to find a partner before the Feb. 18 trade deadline.
AP Photo/John Raoux
McGrady is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $23 .2 million, the most any player will receive this season. Any deal that would bring the prolific scorer to South Beach would have to involve Jermaine O’Neal, whose expiring contract will pay him $23 million this season. Some throw-ins may be added to sweeten the deal for either team, but we first have to analyze the reasons to make the trade.
It appears very likely that Miami will go into the playoffs with the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. No team below the Heat is even at .500 and no team above Miami has more than eight losses. McGrady is not the person who can help the Heat go on a tear that will bring it among the East’s elite. His injury problems have been well-documented, and it’s not as if the two-time scoring champion has offered much reassurance this season.
There is no question that McGrady is a gifted scorer. But in Miami, his stay with the Heat would probably be no more than a half-year rental. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra would continue to view Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley as the top two options. Besides, McGrady’s offensive game is awfully similar to Beasley’s; and it would not be a wise move to stunt Beasley’s growth.
An O’Neal-for-McGrady swap would also leave Miami without a post presence, something the Heat desperately needed before it traded Shawn Marion to acquire O’Neal. While it is true that McGrady can create his own shot and Marion can’t, trading away O’Neal would leave Miami vulnerable in the middle in terms of easy scoring and rebounding. McGrady has settled for far too many jumpers in recent years.
Perhaps Houston could try to stomach the contracts of disappointments Daequan Cook and James Jones in such a trade, but even that wouldn’t make me come around. Trading for McGrady would simply be too much of a risk as the Heat maneuvers for playoff positioning. The Heat is in the midst of its best stretch since it opened the season 6-1. There is no need to try and make trades that would be lateral moves at best. If a trade opened up that could vault Miami into elite status, Heat President Pat Riley should look into it. But right now, the only moves I would want the Heat to make would be small moves to get rid of Jones or Cook.
Many players not named Wade have made strides this season. O’Neal is shooting 57 percent from the field. Beasley is averaging 16 points per game. Udonis Haslem is coming off the bench to average double-digit points. Quentin Richardson has proven to be a lethal three-point threat and a capable defender. Dorell Wright has made a name for himself as a scrappy, active player off the bench. Why should the Heat break up its team just as it is playing well?
During the off-season, Riley spoke of not making changes simply for making changes. It appears to have worked well for him. Many expected Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Philadelphia to be far better than they are. On the other side of the coin, Atlanta’s moves have clearly worked wonders for the Hawks. But unless someone who has the ability to improve a team like Jamal Crawford comes up, I would pass.
