NBA Free Agency: Is Tracy McGrady Still on Los Angeles Lakers' Radar?

The signings of Steve Blake, Theo Ratliff, and Matt Barnes appeared to signal an end to free agency for the Los Angeles Lakers, but events which transpired over the last two days may speak to the contrary.

Recent reports have said the New York Knicks are interested in acquiring Lakers guard Shannon Brown, and Sasha Vujacic could be on the trading block in an attempt to dump his guaranteed contract.

If both players leave, they would join Jordan Farmar and Josh Powell in departing the Lakers this offseason, and their absence would potentially open more roster spots on the team.

Rookies Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks look like safe bets to make the team, but Brown and Vujacic's departure would leave Matt Barnes as the only capable backup behind Kobe Bryant unless Tracy McGrady is still an option.

General manager Mitch Kupchak has been silent thus far about any intentions to sign McGrady, but if these recent rumors are true, they could be the clearest indication yet that Kupchak is exploring this option.

Although the Lakers are said to have been in talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves concerning Vujacic, the Knicks are an intriguing option considering their interest in Brown.

The Lakers could theoretically offer Brown and Vujacic to the Knicks in exchange for McGrady, and avoid the subsequent hit to their salary cap which is already $22 million over the limit.

McGrady is not necessarily an essential piece to the Lakers' quest for a three-peat, but assuming he is healthy, he does have a myriad of talents that would be very helpful along the journey.

The need for a secondary scorer from the perimeter is one of the few weaknesses the Lakers may have right now, because beyond Bryant there are few players on the roster who can create their own offense.

McGrady may not have the same physical skills from seasons past, but his ability to get to the rim and finish, or either create scoring opportunities for teammates, would be a valuable weapon in the Lakers' arsenal.

Other players such as Barnes, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, and Blake are all capable scorers from the perimeter, but they usually rely on the talents of teammates for points.

That's the primary reason why Bryant finds himself the focus of attention at the end of close games, because few other Lakers have shown the ability to penetrate on isolation plays.

A healthy McGrady would cure this ill, and his versatility would make his transition to the triangle offense almost seamless. So what appears to be the hold-up in the case of both parties?

McGrady's overtures with the Chicago Bulls suggest being the focus of the offense is still one of his goals, but it's hard to believe he would place the chance to earn a championship over personal glory.

The Bulls can be considered contenders, but the Lakers have appeared in each of the last three NBA Finals and won the last two championships, and a third doesn't seem that far out of reach.

If winning a NBA title in the near future was McGrady's goal, then the choice would seem obvious, but a diminished role may not be what he is looking for at this point in his career.

McGrady may still envision himself as an elite player in the NBA, and ego has driven his decision-making process in previous stops in his career.

That may be one of the reasons a player as talented as McGrady has played for four different teams throughout the course of his career, with his next destination being his fifth.

There also could be a strong chance that Kupchak and the Lakers are not interested in signing McGrady at all, due to the uncertainty over his health and concerns on how his presence would affect team chemistry.

McGrady would represent a major move for a franchise who has adopted a less is more approach over the course of the last three seasons, and the Lakers have been very successful in their methods.

But if McGrady is available the temptation may be too much for the Lakers to resist, and if the rumors about Brown and Vujacic prove to be true, a strong push for McGrady could be the direction the Lakers choose to take.