The Indiana Pacers just pulled off one of the biggest trades of the offseason after acquiring Luis Scola from the Phoenix Suns and now the team sees itself as a prime contender to take down the Heat and after making that move, the team could go for another involving Danny Granger.
The Pacers lost Tyler Hansbrough in free agency to the Toronto Raptors after signing David West to a deal and the team knew it needed more sixe and rebounding down low, so they went after a player they have long coveted in Scola. ESPN.com reported on the deal and said that the Pacers had interest in Scola even back when he was with the Houston Rockets. Scola comes over after playing in 82 games for the Suns last season and his durability has always been solid, as he has done that five times in six NBA seasons.
Scola brings averages of 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last season and the Pacers sent Gerald Green, center Miles Plumlee and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick, with Green's deal being the one that made the money work. Scola now joins Roy Hibbert and David West down low for the team and Plumlee is gone just one year after being a first round pick taken at number 26. The Suns wanted another top pick badly as they try to rebuild and now the Pacers feel they have a missing piece to help defeat the Heat, adding Scola to a roster that has Paul George, George Hill, Hibbert and West. Scola has averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds during his career and now the Pacers have another consistent player on the floor.
The Pacers made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern conference finals against the Miami Heat despite playing practically the whole season without Danny Granger, which is one reason why the team may consider a trade. According to reports from Yahoo and ESPN.com, some feel that Granger will stunt the development of Paul George into a superstar, which is one reason why a trade could go down, although George said he doesn't feel that way about it. The play of Lance Stephenson last season may make Granger expendable, as he took over in the starting lineup and coach Frank Vogel said he may remain there.
Vogel was noncommittal after the playoffs about whether Granger would automatically get back in the starting lineup, as he missed the entire season apart from a handful of games with knee issues. While a trade deal is unlikely with the Bucks for Brandon Jennings, it is an option the team could consider moving forward, but it is likely that a deal won't happen since Jennings is considering taking the team's qualifying offer. SB Nation reported on the possible deal earlier in the offseason and while that deal won't likely go down, it is something the team could consider.
All the while, Roy Hibbert took to Twitter to speculate about some deals around the league, wondering when Brandon Jennings, Greg Oden and Nikola Pekovic will sign deals. Oden is expected to choose the Heat, Spurs or Pelicans, while Pekovic is likely to remain in Minnesota.
Hibbert wrote: "Still wanna know when Brandon Jennings, Greg Oden n Pek are gonna sign."
