30 NBA players who were traded before becoming stars
By Cal Durrett
26. Tracy McGrady
Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady was one of the most explosive scorers of the 2000s. McGrady spent the first three seasons of his career in Toronto, where he slowly but surely progressed but he exploded once he was traded to the Orlando Magic. In four seasons in Orlando, T-Mac has put up truly staggering numbers, averaging 28.1 points, 7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.
However, the Magic failed to win many games with McGrady after their initial plan to pair him with Tim Duncan and Grant Hill failed when Duncan opted to stay in San Antonio and Hill couldn't stay healthy. As a result, the Magic traded him to the Houston Rockets to pair him with Yao Ming.
Despite the talent of their two best players, the Rockets failed to win a championship with McGrady and Yao, with both players missing significant time over their five seasons together. Too bad. Following his stint in Houston, McGrady bounced around the NBA, playing in New York, Detroit, Atlanta, and San Antonio over the final four years of his career—a far cry from his peak in Orlando.