Imagine A Young Tracy McGrady Paired With Michael Jordan?

I'm sorry what was that Tracy? You were almost traded for Scottie Pippen before the 1997 Draft and there was some sort secret meeting? From the sounds of it, if it weren't for Jordan putting the kibosh on that idea there's a very good chance the league is forever changed. It begs the question, has anyone had more brutal "what ifs" in their career that TMac? There were the rumors about the Lakers almost trading for him to pair with Kobe and Shaq. Then he almost made his way to the Heat back in 2000 when Pat Riley tried to woo him with a speedboat ride and a max deal. Then there was the trade to PHI to go play with AI before Stephen A fucked it all up. For a guy that had a HOF career anyway, it's pretty wild to think what could have been for TMac's career if any of those moves happened. Does he finally win a ring? Probably.

I think it's also fair to say there's a good chance the Bulls might not win that 6th ring if that trade happens though. We all know how important Pippen was to that team and that title. But then you have to also think about the Bulls future. Does Jordan retire if he has a player like young TMac to run with? Could they have maybe gone for 7? Remember, at this point McGrady wasn't the player you're thinking about right now, he didn't really take that leap until the 2000-01 season, but can you imagine what he might have turned into if he got to play a few years with Jordan? Maybe that development speeds up a little bit. We're talking about a HOF player and one of the most devastating scorers the league has ever seen without any of that happening, I can only imagine what that duo would have looked like. 

Now THAT's a good NBA "what if" if I've ever heard one.