Tracy McGrady has officially been granted an indefinite leave from the team while the Rockets explore the possibility of trading The Big Sleep.
With Rockets coach Rick Adelman still unable to predict when McGrady will get significant playing time, McGrady’s representatives asked that the Rockets trade McGrady.
Morey declined comment on Monday.
McGrady will not play while the Rockets seek a trade. A person with knowledge of the Rockets talks with teams said no trade is imminent, but that the Rockets had not been very aggressive in seeking a deal.
McGrady is in the final season of the extension he signed with the Rockets before the 2004-05 season, making his expiring contract worth nearly $23 million potentially valuable to a team seeking to rid itself of rich, long-term contracts.
Rockets fans are not exactly broken up by the news, as illustrated at SB Nation's The Dream Shake.
Daryl Morey may be better off giving McGrady the Marbury/Iverson treatment and just telling McGrady to stay away from the team. Assuming McGrady isn't traded, his contract comes off the books next year and the Rockets will be under the cap with something like $15M to work with. This money will be quite useful in finding a replacement swingman while also attempting to re-sign Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes and/or Kyle Lowry while also working extensions for Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry.