ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando Magic general manager John Weisbrod reportedly received written death threats at his home about trading two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady.
Florida Today reported Wednesday that Weisbrod received two such threats since mid-June, and was forced to check into a hotel under an alias for two nights last week.
On June 17, one week before the NBA Draft, Weisbrod found a threatening note taped to the front door of his home. He said he called Magic assistant general manager Scott Herring and went ahead with plans to take draft prospect Emeka Okafor to dinner.
Nearly two weeks later, on the day the Magic announced McGrady's trade to Houston, a death threat was scribbled on the glass door of the house with a grease marker, Weisbrod said.
"I get harassing correspondence all the time, but when it starts happening at your house, that raises the bar to a different level," said Weisbrod, a 35-year-old divorced father of one.
Weisbrod said the Magic notified the Orange County Sheriff's Office of the threats last week, but filed no official report because he wanted to keep the incidents "out of the public eye."
Sheriff's officials took the June 17 note to analyze for fingerprints and study the handwriting, he said.
McGrady, an all-star in each of the four years he played in Orlando, was sent to Houston with three others in exchange for point guard Steve Francis, shooting guard Cuttino Mobley and center/forward Kelvin Cato. The deal was announced June 30.
McGrady averaged 28.1 points for the Magic, and quickly became the team's most popular player.
But he told team owner Rich DeVos he wanted to be traded, and the Magic didn't want to be left without compensation if McGrady opted out of his seven-year, $93 million contract after next season.
HOWARD'S MAGIC: Top overall draft pick Dwight Howard signed a three-year contract with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Howard, an 18-year-old forward who played at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy last season, was the first of eight high school players taken in the first 19 picks of the draft. Three of the past four No. 1 picks have been players jumping directly from preps to pros.
The rookie scale under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement calls for the No. 1 overall pick to earn a little more than $11.2 million over the life of the contract, and almost $3.5 million this season.
NEGOTIATING: New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin, one of the NBA's most sought-after free agents, met with the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday but said he wants stay with the Nets.
"Sometimes change is good, but my No. 1 choice is to remain in New Jersey," Martin said. "I've said that the whole time."
An upbeat Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said the talks were just starting.
"Getting him into Denver to see the facility is a huge step," Vandeweghe said.
STILL WAITING: The Los Angeles Lakers remained without a coach late Wednesday, but the hiring of Rudy Tomjanovich appeared imminent.
Tomjanovich would succeed Phil Jackson, who coached the Lakers to three NBA championships in five years.
The team announced June 18, three days after losing to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, that Jackson wouldn't return next season.
"We feel we've identified the guy that we want to hire," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Tuesday, adding he hoped to have a coach in place by the end of the week.
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