clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Tracy McGrady doesn't think Bradley Beal is a max player, apparently forgot how his first free agency went

Tracy McGrady #1

Everyone has a take on Bradley Beal's desire to sign a max deal. Like it or not, the discussion isn't going to go away until a new deal is in place.

The latest take came from Tracy McGrady, who said "If he's a max player, then I'm coming back" when he was asked if Beal deserves a max deal on Tuesday's episode of The Jump. (HT: Wiz of Awes)

You can understand why McGrady would be upset at the idea of a 22-year-old earning over $90 million this summer, especially considering he only averaged 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shot just 45.1 percent from the field. It doesn't exactly scream max contract.

Except, those weren't Beal's numbers last season. Those were McGrady's numbers when he hit free agency in 2000. And you'll never believe what he asked for based on those non-max numbers according to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel:

Sources say the preps-to-pros star initially was peeved with Orlando because the organization wasn't offering him the maximum allotted salary until his interest started to sway in the direction of Miami, to the Heat via two separate sign-and-trade deals.

One deal was a three-player agreement that would have brought Miami McGrady for P.J. Brown and second-year guard Anthony Carter, a free agent the Raptors are strongly pursuing. Another deal was a more complicated seven-player swap.

But McGrady met with the Magic on Wednesday morning armed with Heat rumors that would have gotten him more money than the initial deal he sought from Orlando, then agreed to a six-year contract for the NBA maximum of $67.5 million. That deal includes a clause that allows him to become a free agent in three years.

The Magic agreed to his terms and will now team him up with former Piston forward Grant Hill, another free agent who sought Florida's year-round good weather and lack of a state taxes.

For those keeping score at home, Beal averaged 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and shot 44.9 percent from the field last season and already played a major part in winning two playoff series during his short career.

It's anyone's guess if Beal will be able to live up to the money he's going to get paid this summer, but McGrady should know better than anyone that players don't get money based on what they've done on the floor, but rather what teams think they're capable of doing in the future.