Chron: Magic mulling McGrady options

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2644908

Orlando GM says Francis no longer an impediment to possible deal with Rockets

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

John Weisbrod might as well have taken an ad out in the paper.

"For sale: The NBA's most dynamic scorer. All offers considered."

The Magic general manager did not declare the trade of Tracy McGrady to the Rockets dead Wednesday. Nor did he rule out McGrady's returning to Orlando. But he indicated that if teams want to make offers, he wants to hear them.

"I've just heard because of all the GMs that are calling in that it has been reported or the assumption is out there that it is done, or Houston is the team," Weisbrod said. "That is certainly not the case. We are still weighing all of our options.

"I would say there are at least seven teams that are still under consideration."

The most obvious option for the Magic is to send McGrady with Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines and Tyronn Lue to the Rockets for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato as planned. That could still happen, though Weisbrod said a deal is unlikely until after tonight's draft at the earliest.

NBA sources said talks with the Suns had picked up but that Phoenix was unwilling to add Joe Johnson to an offer that included Shawn Marion, instead offering Casey Jacobsen. McGrady, however, can opt out of his contract after next season and has said the Rockets are his first choice if traded.

Weisbrod offered another encouraging note for the Rockets in their hopes to land McGrady, saying Francis' initial reluctance to go to Orlando was not an issue.

"That is not a major factor in it at all," Weisbrod said. "I think, after taking a couple calls from Steve's people, that his main issue is frustration with Houston over how he has perceived they handled it or commitments they made to him in the past. His emotion about the situation, his emotion about leaving Houston, it's not about coming here.

"He doesn't have any aversion to coming to Orlando, from what I understand. He has an aversion to leaving Houston, based on everything he has been through with them and some of his commitments and understanding as to what they told him his future was there. But it was unfortunate that the kid was put in that position, because he is asked all these questions as if there was some deal immediately pending and that he was in it, and that wasn't fair to him. That certainly wasn't the case."

Francis' agent, Jeff Fried, said he told Francis the deal was close on Monday.

Sources said Wednesday the Rockets and Magic reached agreements on deals that could work either while Francis is considered a base-year player or when his base-year status expires July 1. If the deal is not made in June, it cannot be approved by the NBA and made official until July 14 because of the July 1-13 moratorium on trades or free-agent signings.

With Francis' unhappiness with the deal widely considered the roadblock to its getting done, Nate Peake, one of his representatives, said Francis is open to the idea of playing for the Magic. Peake said he and Fried would like Francis to have a chance to speak directly to Weisbrod.

"He is not saying he would not go to Orlando," Peake said. "He is not saying that at all. Steve should have been treated the same way as T-Mac. T-Mac knew what was going on. The first Steve knew was when it was almost done. He just wanted to know more about the situation, what's going on there, what their plans are.

"We're open-minded about the whole thing. We're trying to do what's best for Steve and the Orlando organization. To say Steve wouldn't go there is not true. He did want to know what's going on. He wanted to be involved in the process."

Francis said Monday he believed the Rockets would improve upon last season's playoff berth, the first of his career, and that he was disappointed he might not be back.

"A lot has changed, but Houston is still Steve's team," Peake said. "He is their leader. He did not expect that to change. But he was not saying he won't do it (the trade). That was misinterpreted. He was not saying that he wouldn't go to Orlando."

Weisbrod was not saying he no longer wanted to bring Francis to Orlando. But the GM was not ready to seal the deal, preferring to sift through the offers still coming in.

"I know because of the magnitude of the deal and the magnitude of (McGrady) as a player, it is a big rush to people to try and conclude where he is going to be," Weisbrod said. "But all those options are still open. He could still be here. And obviously, he could be traded."