Was anyone as confused over the Tracy McGrady/Kevin Martin 3-team trade as I was? If you were, this post will be perfect for you, as I try to go through the details of what each team received and from where!

So let’s get to that first – What did each team get?

New York Knicks

Tracy McGrady (from HOU)       Sergio Rodriguez (from SAC)

Houston Rockets

Kevin Martin (from SAC)      Hilton Armstrong (from SAC)      Jordan Hill (from NY)

Jared Jeffries (from NY)     2012 First-Round Pick (from NY)      Right to swap 2011 First-Round Pick w/NY

Sacramento Kings

Carl Landry (from HOU)     Joey Dorsey (from HOU)      Larry Hughes (from NY)

Why would they make trades?

The Knicks are putting all of their eggs into one basket called the ‘Summer of 2010’. They are not only hopeful, but they are banking on two of the big three free agents coming to NYC (LeBron, D-Wade, Bosh). Is this out of the question – no. It really could happen, and now they have around $40 million coming off the books to keep them under the cap. As a Knick hater, I’m sooo scareddd…

The Rockets were looking for someone to step in and score. They needed an identity to replace McGrady (who got his wish to leave town) and injured Yao Ming (who people probably forget is even on this team), and they think they have it in Martin. He is a pure scorer, but is also one of the most overrated players in the league. He can go off for a sick game and then disappoint when it matters most. Let’s see how he fits in on the Rockets. Not only this, but they got some first round picks from the Knicks, which could come in handy.

The Kings needed to get rid of Martin for the team’s sake, and they did. They got Carl Landry, who is probably going to really hurt the Rockets by getting rid of him, who can step in and battle with the bigs out west. This team showed signs of being decent earlier this season, but it’s still going to be a couple years until they reach that point.

Like most trades, this one was built on money and hardly any talent. Maybe McGrady will pan out to be a cheap secondary for New York next year, but I expect him to take money over winning if the opportunity arose.

I hope this straightened things out for everyone, since this was a trade built on a hope and a dream – and yet it still came through. And I really hope that this is the finalized trade, because if it’s not, I may have to give up my job of being an NBA blogger.

Check back for more possible trades later in the day (you never know with this stuff)!

-Shooter