The 1999 deal that would have sent TMac to the Sixers will always go down as one of the biggest “what ifs” in NBA history. If you didn’t know, the Toronto Raptors apparently had a deal in place that year to send Tracy McGrady and a first-round pick to Philly in exchange for Larry Huges.
So what went wrong? Apparently, Stephen A. Smith’s reporting of the situation made the Raptors back out at the last minute.
Yes this is true https://t.co/40WiC5p09I
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 4, 2020
It’s not yet known why, exactly, the Raptors got cold feet. Maybe they heard the offer out loud and decided it wasn’t enough? Maybe the idea of Smith breaking the story before they completed the deal just flat-out pissed them off?
Whatever the case, it may have cost the Sixers a title. The combo of McGrady and Iverson in 1999 would have been deadly. Iverson was only 23 in ’99, and he came off that season averaging a league-leading 26.8 points per game. McGrady was just 19 that year and while he hadn’t yet reached star status, one has to think he would have shined with Iverson.
Together, in the early stages of their career, it’s hard to believe they couldn’t have won at least one Championship. But, unfortunately, we’ll never get the chance to find out.
