The Orlando Magic trio that never was ft. Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady
A Hall of Fame trio could've formed an Orlando Magic "Superteam" 23 years ago. Can you imagine prime Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady all on the same team?
The Magic had a boatload of cap space during the summer of 2000. They ended up signing two of the biggest free agents on the market that year in Hill and McGrady.
Will be looking back at T-Mac’s 1st Year in Orlando, the breakthrough year as a Superstar
McGrady, alongside Grant Hill joined the Magic in the 2000 Off-Season after spending 3 Years in Toronto. T-Mac wanted a bigger role and a bigger role he got.. since Hill only played 4 Games https://t.co/CHjBEQayaf
Hill played the first six years of his career with the Detroit Pistons, emerging as a superstar who drew comparisons to Michael Jordan. During his time in Detroit, the Duke legend shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Jason Kidd, made five All-Star games and was named to five All-NBA Teams.
McGrady spent his first three years with the Toronto Raptors, starting just 53 of 192 games, averaging only 11.1 points per game. However, he instantly morphed into a superstar in Orlando, developing into one of the league's top scorers.
Hill and McGrady never became an elite duo as Hill missed a bunch of games due to injury. Hill played just four games during his first season with the Magic, 14 in his second, and 29 in his third before missing the entire 2003-04 campaign.
With T-Mac leading the way, Orlando made three playoff appearances, but lost during the first round each time.
What if Tim Duncan had joined Tracy McGrady and a healthy Grant Hill at the Orlando Magic?
The Magic probably wouldn't have had a first-round playoff exits if Duncan made his way to the Orlando Magic.
Duncan was clearly the league's top free agent during the 2000 offseason. The No.1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft had won a championship in 1999, teaming up with fellow star big man David Robinson on the San Antonio Spurs.
Duncan met with the Orlando Magic, but obviously chose to remain in San Antonio. He played the rest of his career with the Spurs, winning four more championships and becoming arguably the greatest power forward the NBA world has ever seen.
McGrady. Duncan. Hill.
Sheesh. https://t.co/J1buJHYqV3
If Duncan joined forces with McGrady and Hill (if he managed to stay healthy), the Magic could've featured one of the greatest trios of all time. We may have witnessed a few NBA Finals matchups between Orlando and the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers.
Would a Tim Duncan-Grant Hill-Tracy McGrady squad have turned out to be a dynasty? Quite possibly, but we'll never know.