Danny Granger was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Philadelphia 76ers last week, and the move caught the all-star swingman by surprise. Playing in the final year of his contract, Granger wanted to help the Pacers to an NBA title, but the Pacers felt they were better suited with Evan Turner in the role. Granger though, still wants to chase that NBA Championship, something that wouldn’t be possible in Philadelphia, and since he was only signed through the end of the season, the 76ers have granted that request as the team and Granger have mutually agreed to a buyout.
Said Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie in a statement: “His accomplishments and accolades to this point of his NBA career more than speak for themselves, so I would like to express that I have a great deal of respect for Danny Granger as a person. … Given Danny’s future goals and his desire to pursue them, we worked to fulfill his requests and have come to a resolution we feel is mutually beneficial to Danny and our organization.”
The 30-year-old Granger is averaging 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds, while shooting just 35.9 percent from the field in 22.5 minutes per contest this season. He isn’t quite back to the level that saw him average over 20 points per game in three straight seasons from 2007-08 to 2009-10, but he can still be effective and would provide a playoff team with some depth scoring.
There are numerous teams who are reported to be interested in Granger, including the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets.
It is believed that Granger is looking for a team where he can have a major role and be an impact player, and who is also a championship contender. Given those criteria, it would appear that the Clippers, who have seen shooting guard J.J. Reddick battle injury issues all season, may be the best fit for Granger right now.
Clipper coach Doc Rivers was asked if he would like to add Granger to his team. “Of course!” Rivers said, but added, “that’ll be up to Danny.”
Granger was once seen as the Pacers franchise player, but when injuries forced him to miss almost all of last season, Paul George and Roy Hibbert emerged as Indiana’s key guys. In the last year of a huge contract, and with a bench role this season, it was assumed by most that Granger would not be re-signing with the Pacers when he becomes a free agent this summer and so he was moved at the NBA deadline.
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