The Indiana Pacers had a fantastic run into the playoffs last season and took the eventual champion Miami Heat down to the wire and now with most of the team returning for the 2013-14 season, many are wondering where injured star Danny Granger fits in and whether or not he will be traded this season.
Granger missed nearly all of last season apart from a handful of games after dealing with a knee issue and while the Pacers have not been forthcoming about whether they will trade him or not, media speculation has been running rampant all summer about their options. Some teams that have been mentioned in reports from ESPN, Yahoo and Pro Basketball Talk include the Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Timberwolves, Bobcats, Suns as well as the Lakers, Grizzlies, Orlando Magic and of course the New York Knicks.
One of the main reasons why the Pacers may want to trade him is based on how well they played last year without him, as they won the central division by a solid margin over the Bulls and nearly won 50 games without him in the lineup. Granger played in just five games and averaged less than 15 minutes before he was shut down for the season and he averaged just 5.4 points during that time. His absence allowed coach Frank Vogel to play Lance Stephenson more and he developed into a very solid player and that could be enough for the team to decide to deal him.
On top of that, the Pacers also added some players in the offseason that could offset the loss of Granger on the roster, including signing Chris Copeland and bringing back David West on a new deal. The Pacers signed Copeland as a restricted free agent after a very solid season for the Knicks and now they have a very talented roster that already includes Paul George and Roy Hibbert as well as George Hill. The Pacers felt that Copeland could give them another element and the Knicks couldn't match the deal since it was for more space than they had to work with heading into this season.
The Pacers opted to keep West and allowed Tyler Hansbrough to go to Toronto and it was one of the biggest priorities for the front office to get done. West was the biggest free agent name for the team and he likely could have signed a deal with a number of teams after putting up solid stats of 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season. West is an integral part to the Pacers lineup and the team also added CJ Watson in the offseason. Watson will give the team depth and after averaging 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists last season, he could help supplement any production lost if the team decided to trade Granger.
The Pacers likely would take some picks after trading for Luis Scola in the offseason and a number of teams fit the bill to get Granger, as he could be a centerpiece for a team looking to turnaround quick or he could be the star a team tries to build around that is awful, like the Orlando Magic or the Charlotte Bobcats. The Pacers traded away Miles Plumlee and a first round pick to the Suns for Scola and they feel he gives them an edge up front and he is a player they have coveted for some time.
While a trade could be complicated at this point in the season, depending on how Vogel wants to run the team this year and how Granger looks health wise, the Pacers could decide to make a deal.
