Tracy McGrady Believes Knicks 'Trending in the Right Direction'
Tracy McGrady believes that the New York Knicks are in a position to make some major offseason moves.
"They’re trending in the right direction,” McGrady told the New York Daily News. “I know the power and influence those guys have on players (general manager Scott) Perry, (executive vice president William Wesley) and (president) Leon Rose, those three guys, the influence they have on some of these players, the relationships they have, they’d be able to turn around the New York Knicks.”
Though the crosstown Brooklyn Nets have garnered major national attention through high-profile acquisitions, McGrady believes that the Knicks' turn is coming soon.
Whether it was intended or not, McGrady's comments serve as a counter to comments made by Reggie Miller and Stan Van Gundy. The TNT analysts believe the New York front office will have no effect on where players choose to sign.
McGrady believes that, thanks the young nucleus of first-round picks RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin, the Knicks are in a much better spot than they were during his brief time with the team over a decade prior. The seven-time All-Star appeared in 24 games with the Knicks during the 2009-10 season.
McGrady offered a ringing endorsement for Perry, with whom he revealed he had a close relationship. Perry previously tried to recruit the former high school phenom McGrady during his days as an assistant coach at Michigan.
Though the latter opted to go pro instead, McGrady feels like modern stars won't be so quick to reject Perry's advances as he did.
"They have some good people in management now that they didn’t have back (when I played for the Knicks)," McGrady said. “Donovan Mitchell is from New York. I’m saying there’s a very good chance, a high percentage chance, that they will land something good this offseason.”
The Knicks currently hold the 11th pick in this June's NBA Draft, one of their two selections.
McGrady, a Naismith Hall of Famer, is back in New York to showcase his new endeavor known as the Ones Basketball League, a one-on-one competition founded in conjunction with the Showtime premium cable network.
The NYC regional will be held at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Brooklyn. This weekend's winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize and an invite to the league's national tournament in Las Vegas.
