Toronto Raptors draft: 5 times the Raps gave up on a draftee early

1. SF Tracy McGrady, 1997 NBA Draft, No. 9 overall.

Some dream scenarios infrequently materialize in pro sports. Things like an athlete playing with a relative or playing in your home city. What could have been in Toronto?

Everybody remembers the jaw-dropping feats of athleticism and skill displayed by Vince Carter in Toronto. However, had his cousin stayed loyal to the team that drafted him or had Toronto’s coaching staff recognized his greatness sooner, Tracy McGrady would have helped elevate Toronto to greater heights in the late 1990s and early years of this Millenium.

The Raptors grabbed the third of four consecutive great draft choices in 1997 at No. 9. The 6-8 small forward would spend three solid, albeit generally uneventful, seasons in Toronto before busting out as a superstar when he signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic in the summer of 2000.

Tracy McGrady has regrets about leaving Toronto.

In a 15-year career, McGrady appeared in seven All-Star games and is without question among the top scorers in NBA history. While he is a well-decorated great of the game, even getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, McGrady had regrets about leaving.

".“Something’s missing. Something’s missing. Had I stayed in Toronto, I’m sure we would have done something special.”"

Could McGrady have earned that elusive ring with the Raptors?

To illustrate what Toronto and McGrady missed out on with the craziness during their first few seasons was a lineup of Stoudamire, Carter, McGrady, and Camby at the center.

All four had long careers over a decade, and all four were good basketball players. However, Carter never played with Stoudamire or Camby, and just as things were getting good, McGrady was gone by 2000.

In McGrady’s case, the problem was playing time. Over his first two seasons, he was only getting an average of 20 minutes per game. It was under head coach Butch Carter during McGrady’s third season when his minutes jumped to 31.2 per game, and he scored 15.4 points per game in that 1999/00 season.

2000 was also Toronto’s first-ever playoff appearance, getting swept three games to none. However, McGrady’s mind was made up by that point, eyeing playing time and a chance to shine on his own away from the shadow of Carter. His six-year, $67.5 million deal with Orlando also allowed him to play in his home state of Florida.

From there, McGrady truly stepped on the gas, kicking off what became a Hall of Fame career with two scoring titles and seven straight All-NBA nods.

They didn’t necessarily “give up” on McGrady, and competing with his home state of Florida was always going to be tough, but if the Raptors went overboard to retain him, he and his cousin could’ve been one of the more special duos of the early 2000s.