McGrady won't say whether he'll be back with Raptors

Now that the Toronto Raptors' season is over, the Tracy McGrady watch is on. The Raptors' third-year forward becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1 and will attract plenty of interest throughout the NBA.

As he has all season, McGrady was close-mouthed about his future in Toronto after the Raptors' 87-80 playoff loss to New York on Sunday, which gave the Knicks a sweep of the best-of-five series.

As he left the court, McGrady threw his sweatband into the crowd and was seen waving good-bye. But the lanky 20-year-old told reporters not to read anything into his post-game actions.

"I was just acknowledging the crowd," McGrady said. "They're the sixth man.

"They supported us well this season. It was a great season for us and that was our last game this year. It was just goodbye for this season."

After the game, NBC analyst Peter Vescey, citing sources close to McGrady, reported that the rising star had played his last game in Toronto.

The Orlando Magic is expected to be a frontrunner for the six-foot-eight, 210-pound McGrady. The Magic will have plenty of room under its salary cap and McGrady's home town of Auburndale, Fla., is located nearby.

The Chicago Bulls, looking to find a replacement for the retired Michael Jordan, are also likely to be keen pursuers.

But Raptors coach Butch Carter believes Toronto has an excellent chance of re-signing McGrady, who turns 21 on May 24.

"I think we have as good a chance or better than anyone to sign Tracy McGrady," Carter said. "I think at least we've done everything that we can do up to this point to sign Tracy."

On Sunday, Raptors fans made their feelings clear, waving a plethora of signs urging McGrady to remain in Toronto.

One of the best signs was of a huge cheque that required two fans to hold it up. The cheque was payable to McGrady, with the words Whatever It Takes written on the line where the dollar figure would be.

Playing on a sprained ankle, McGrady finished with 12 points Sunday, hitting just 5-of-14 shots. But in Toronto's series-opening 92-88 loss, McGrady led the Raptors with 25 points in his NBA playoff debut.

The Raptors have also lobbied for public support in their attempt to re-sign McGrady. On the club's Internet site is a section asking fans to e-mail McGrady with their wishes that he remain in Toronto.

McGrady did say Sunday that he was proud to be part of a Raptors playoff team after enduring two losing campaigns his first two years.

"We accomplished a lot as a team, we came a long way," he said. "We came a long way from what this organization used to be."

A big factor working in Toronto's favour is McGrady's relationship with Butch Carter and Raptors' star Vince Carter.

Toronto drafted McGrady out of high school in 1998 but former coach Darrell Walker virtually ignored the youngster during his first year with the Raptors. McGrady has flourished under Butch Carter, who brought him along slowly as the Raptors' sixth man before handing him a starting position at mid-season.

As for Vince Carter, he is a distant cousin of McGrady's and the two remain very close. Carter is under contract with Toronto for another three years.

Of course, Carter's presence also means McGrady is never likely to be the No. 1 player in Toronto.