Stephen A. Smith Confirms He Kept Iverson and McGrady From Being Teammates
Written by SOURCE on April 6, 2020
Allen Iverson willed the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals. Although he was able to steal a game from the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers and create a signature moment with “The Step-Over,” A.I. almost had a backcourt partner that could’ve shifted his time in Philly.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith confirmed a story that claimed he played a part in sabotaging a trade between Philadelphia and Toronto that would’ve sent Tracy McGrady to the Sixers.
The Raptors were reportedly looking to send McGrady and a first-round draft pick to the Sixers for Larry Hughes before T-Mac’s free agency started at the end of the 1999-2000 season. Smith—who was a beat writer for the Sixers at the time—caught wind of the potential trade. Before things could be finalized, Smith decided to break the story. This led to the Raptors pulling the deal off the table.
At the time, Allen Iverson was a 24-year-old, three-year player and one of the NBA’s biggest offensive threats. T-Mac was far from the player he would become, but the 20-year-old, two-year guard showed a lot of potential. After stopping the trade, the Raptors let T-Mac strike a deal with the Orlando Magic during his free agency.
By 2001, T-Mac was finishing up his first year in Orlando. He had been selected for his first All-Star Game that year and averaged close to 27 points a game. As for AI, he was carrying Eric Snow and Raja Bell to the NBA Finals against Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. While both Iverson and McGrady ended up in Springfield, there’s no telling how different their careers would’ve been if this trade went through.
