T-Mac off to Houston

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tracy McGrady still would rather play for the Orlando Magic than the Houston Rockets, but he says the Magic made no genuine effort to keep him and “kind of wanted me out.”

McGrady was traded to Houston on Tuesday, completing a much-anticipated multi-player trade that delivered Rockets star Steve Francis to the Magic.

“I just felt they kind of wanted me out,” McGrady told the Orlando Sentinel from his home in south Orlando. “That’s how I felt.”

McGrady said he told the club after a 21-61 season that it would be best for him to move on. But he also said it was “shocking” when the Magic stopped communicating with him and made little or no attempt to persuade him to stay.

McGrady had made it clear that he wanted to be a part of a playoff team, not a rebuilding project, and said he didn’t believe the Magic’s No. 1 draft pick could provide help immediately.

T-Mac first told the Sentinel last month that if he were traded, the Rockets appealed to him most because they had 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming.

Magic General Manager John Weisbrod declined to comment, but he previously had said that the club did not want to lose its superstar. But McGrady was preparing to enter the option year of his contract, and the team did not want him to leave after next season without getting some compensation for him if he decided not to stay.

“As far as keeping me … if they had done some things, I’d be here. I don’t want to leave,” said McGrady, traces of bitterness seeping into his voice. “I’d be crazy to leave home. This is where my family is.

“What would you do if you were a GM and your star — a great guy who’s never been in trouble — came to you and said he wanted out? Not call him? Not talk to him?

“Why not call him and wish him ‘Happy Birthday’? Why not ask him about offseason acquisitions? Why not tell him how Grant Hill is doing, if he’ll be ready? They obviously decided to move on.”

A two-time scoring champ, McGrady, who turned 25 on May 24, will travel to Houston today for a news conference. Francis arrived in Orlando late Tuesday afternoon to meet with Weisbrod and other team officials.

Along with McGrady, the Magic will ship forward Juwan Howard and point guards Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines to the Rockets. The Magic will receive Francis, center Kelvin Cato and guard Cuttino Mobley.

Mitchell hired by Raptors

Sam Mitchell understands there might be questions about his inexperience as a head coach going into his first season leading the Toronto Raptors.

So he has a few answers.

Mitchell, hired Tuesday just two years after he retired as a player, will rely on his assistants to help him out.

Mitchell, who played in the NBA for 13 years, was an assistant coach for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats for the past month. After playing for Minnesota and Indiana, Mitchell spent two years as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks before leaving for Charlotte.

“I understand the concerns … that’s why we’re going to have a great support staff around me,” said Mitchell, who is expected to add longtime NBA assistant Jim Todd to his staff. “We’re going to have guys that have coached many years.”

The Raptors gave Mitchell a three-year contract worth nearly $5 million.

Reed leaves Knicks for Hornets

The New Orleans Hornets hired NBA Hall of Famer Willis Reed as vice president of basketball operations Tuesday, giving the former New York Knicks star a chance to finish his career in his native state.

“This will be my last job,” said the 62-year-old Reed, who built a house in northern Louisiana and plans to retire there.

He expects to be more than a figurehead for the Hornets, contributing to roster decisions and advising the coaching staff, all while using his well known name to promote the team.

“This is not early retirement,” he said.

Reed, who led the Knicks to NBA titles in 1970 and 1973, was an adviser for the Knicks last season after 14 years in the New Jersey Nets’ front office. Reed was the Nets’ senior vice president when Hornets coach Byron Scott guided New Jersey.