Chicago Bulls Rumors: Signing Tracy McGrady Would Be Disastrous Mistake

The biggest weak spot on the Chicago Bulls during their breakout 2010-11 season was a shooting guard position that provided just 10.6 points per game combined between Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer. With the start of free agency looming, resolving the 2-guard spot will be a priority for the Bulls.

One option Chicago is apparently considering would be to bring in former All-Star Tracy McGrady. According to ESPN, the Bulls are expected to sign McGrady away from the Detroit Pistons as soon as they’re allowed to do so.

Regardless of how cheaply McGrady can be had, the Bulls would regret bringing him in. Not only is he no longer a worthwhile NBA scorer, but he’s a terrible fit with the roster and philosophy of this Chicago team.

Just because McGrady once averaged 32.1 points a game doesn’t mean that his skills have translated to the current stage of his career. He averaged a mere 8.0 points a night last season as a part-time starter on the lowly Pistons.

McGrady is still a solid spot-up shooter, which must be part of his appeal to the Bulls, but the rest of his game has fallen off drastically now that his overpowering athleticism has disappeared. He may be a big name, but there are plenty of other guards on the market who can bring just as much scoring to Chicago as McGrady would be able to.

Even more crucially, McGrady has gone from a competent defender in his prime to a liability now. The Bulls’ experience with Kyle Korver in last spring’s playoffs should have taught them that they cannot afford to add another shooter whose defense won’t let him stay on the floor.

Fitting a new shooting guard under the salary cap won’t be trivial for Chicago, but Tracy McGrady is not the answer by any stretch of the imagination.