Tracy McGrady has his own daily deals website

The hottest trend in the internet startup world, apart from leveraging metrics and establishing new verticals, is the proliferation of daily deal websites. From Groupon to LivingSocial to those random emails I get from Amazon for discounted spa treatments, there seems to be no limit to these new sites. Eventually, everything we buy will be discounted through a specialized deal site. (Related: Please let me know if you'd like to invest in SockItToMe.com, the internet's first daily deals site devoted entirely to socks.)

However, there is a glaring hole in the space for a daily deals site run by a seven-time NBA All-Star. Sensing an opportunity, Atlanta Hawks reserve Tracy McGrady has started TMacsDeals.com, a site specially tailored for fans of the two-time scoring champion. TechCrunch has more details:

This week, McGrady, in partnership with Engager Media — a company that specializes in social media management for influencers — launched TMacsDeals both on the Web and on Facebook, using both platforms to offer his fans discounts on his own merchandise as well as sports-related deals from Adidas (McGrady is sponsored by the apparel company), Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Lids, and more. [...]

Of course, while McGrady's website is by no means winning any design awards (and has clone material written all over it), or pushing the envelope technologically, it gets the job done, and, perhaps more importantly, it does so in a way that doesn't stink of brand shilling. For McGrady, this means no sponsored ads: "I have been approached about doing sponsored ads on my social media sites, but I think that can come across as disingenuous. With TMacsDeals, I can provide a service to my fans by helping them save money on brands they actually use."

As noted by Gizmodo, some of the offers are a little bizarre; for instance, a T-Mac street sign is the site's lone recommended deal right now. And while McGrady has a lot of fans, he no longer has the star power necessary to sell products or services just because he endorses him. Nor does TMacsDeals.com have the sort of items that must be purchased before they run out of stock.

Yet there's something impressive about this venture, if only because it shows that McGrady is paying attention to current online trends and trying to get involved in the game. TMacsDeals.com isn't especially impressive in its current form, but it might eventually get to that point. And even if it never does, McGrady has displayed a forward-thinking (or perhaps just contemporary) business sense that many players never consider.

For now, though, it's worth perusing the site and seeing if anything catches your eye. Those T-Mac/Yao Ming collector clocks might be gone any minute.