Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady could have won a title

Recently it was revealed that the Philadelphia 76ers almost had what would have been one of the best pairings back in 1999.

There will always be, “what ifs” in NBA history. The Philadelphia 76ers have their own “what ifs” in their franchise history. However, one of them recently came to light thanks to musician Trev Rich and was confirmed by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

Yes this is true https://t.co/40WiC5p09I
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 4, 2020

That’s right, Allen Iverson almost had Tracy McGrady as a running mate. Flipping Larry Hughes for McGrady would have been a steal, but it’s understandable why the Toronto Raptors didn’t do the trade. Still, the two stars would have been in the primes of their youth if paired back in 1999 and just imagine if Philly had the two Hall of Famers on their roster when they made the 2001 NBA Finals.

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Back in the 2000-01 season, Iverson was at his peak. That season, he was averaging 31.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals, while converting 42.0 percent of his field goals. That team’s second-leading scoring was Dikembe Mutombo who averaged just 11.7 points per game, granted the big man was an elite defensive big in the NBA.

Now imagine that instead of Mutombo, the Sixers had McGrady as their second best player, who was finally the primary option for the first time in his career that season on the Orlando Magic. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks, while making 45.7 percent of his shots from the floor.

If paired, both stars probably would have seen a reduction in points per game (more than likely McGrady would have sacrificed more), but it’s clear they would have been the pair of perimeter players in the NBA. That means they would have been better than Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker or Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson Jr.

Could this pair have beaten a prime Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal leading the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2001? That remains a “what if” but personally I believe so, especially if Mutombo was on that squad with the two stars. I’d have a hard time imagining that the Lakers could neutralize both Iverson and McGrady for a whole series, but we will never know for certain.

Iverson and McGrady duo would have been special and could have probably won the Philadelphia 76ers a title. However, it sadly remains as a “what if” in franchise history.