Tracy McGrady was ascending as a star in the league when he made it to the Orlando Magic in 2000. The Magic were ready to rebuild after Penny Hardaway left the Magic. They had one of the brightest ideas to propel their franchise into the championship contender spot by teaming up an All-Star with McGrady. But now, it has become one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history.

The duo had the potential to be like the one from the Chicago Bulls but fell short due to injuries. Years later, one of the stars talked about the possibilities of teaming up with other primes.

The misfortune of the Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic traded for Grant Hill in 2000. They hoped to pair him up with the young and upcoming superstar Tracy McGrady. People hoped for a legendary duo in Orlando. With both players able to score 30 on a given night, the fans hoped for a title contender.

But things didn’t go as planned, as Hill was never healthy. He had a series of ankle injuries that heavily derailed his career after getting to the Magic. In his first four seasons with the Orlando Magic, he played less than 50 games. McGrady, on the other hand, rose further to the top and even averaged 32.1 ppg in the 2002–2003 season.

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In 2013, Grant Hill retired from the game. During an interview, Hill talked about the potential of teaming up with Tracy McGrady. Hill talked about the Magic signing McGrady. He said that he didn’t know how great McGrady was at first. But as time went on, he got to see his greatness on the court.

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Unfortunately, Hill was constantly injured, and the duo never played a full season. Grant Hill said, “It was unfortunate that we didn’t get a chance to play together because I’m not saying we could’ve won it that year, but I think the two of us—me in my prime and him kind of going into his—who knows what we could’ve done?”.

McGrady became one of the best players in the league in the absence of Grant Hill. If Hill was not injured, then the duo could have definitely pushed for a title.

The fall of Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill

In his last season with the Detroit Pistons, Grant Hill averaged 25.8 points per game. McGrady played three seasons with the Toronto Raptors and increased his point production every year. In his first season with the Orlando Magic, McGrady took a massive jump and averaged 26.8 points per game.

Grant Hill had to go through five ankle surgeries during his time in the NBA. Hill missed the entire 2003–2004 season with his surgery. McGrady averaged 28 points per game that season. He left the team after the season and joined the Houston Rockets.

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McGrady had to undergo microfracture surgery in 2009. This was his 11th season in the league. He was one of the best players in the league at the time, but after the surgery, he became a shell of himself. He didn’t play over 30 games in the next three seasons.

The duo definitely had the capability of contending just from their numbers. Do you agree with the statement from Grant Hill? Let us know in the comments!