Reminiscent of the Yao Ming Draft days, news has been flying at a fast and furious pace here, but it looks like the fantasy deal that we at ClutchFans have been discussing for weeks is about to come to fruition.
The Rockets and Magic have agreed to terms on a deal that will bring Tracy McGrady to the Rockets, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and more to Orlando.
Francis came out to say he did not want to play for the Magic (see: Francis: Orlando? Only If Shaq Comes Too), and the talks hit a snag as a result, but reportedly the deal will take place now after Tuesday's expansion draft so long as the Bobcats do not select a player that will complicate the trade.
There have been several reports about the players involved in the deal, but the ones who look to be in it for sure are Francis, Mobley and Kelvin Cato to Orlando for McGrady and power forward Juwan Howard.
ESPN's David Aldridge has reported that the deal could include the likes of Bostjan Nachbar, Tyronne Lue and Andrew DeClerq, but we have not heard anything concrete yet here about Boki being involved. We do expect DeClerq to be in it though.
Aldridge also added later that Lakers guard Derek Fisher, a free agent, has expressed interest in joining the Rockets.
While the Rockets no doubt have carefully planned who they will acquire to patch up holes, clearly the prize of this deal would be McGrady. The Rockets have been researching McGrady for some time, with Keith Jones doing medical history checks the last few weeks.
It is not often that teams have the chance to acquire two-time NBA scoring champions right after they turn 25 years old. The last 4 seasons in Orlando, McGrady has averaged 28.2 points on 44.6% shooting, 7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.54 steals and a block per game.
A pairing of McGrady with Yao is an NBA marketer's dream and gives the Rockets a strong (and younger) duo to build around in the West.
Keep the dial tuned in.
