NBA Trade Deadline 2012: The One Trade the Indiana Pacers Must Make

Pacers Trade: Danny Granger

Celtics Trade: Ray Allen, Celtics and Clippers 2012 No. 1 picks

Danny Granger is a fantastic basketball player, however, he plays the same position as soon-to-be-star Paul George and makes a great deal of money compared to the young George,which makes him the perfect piece to move in a trade in order to strengthen the Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers have a very good basketball team, and Larry Bird should be thrilled with the job he has done.

The Pacers are the third-best team in the Eastern Conference at best, and the seventh-best at worst (providing the Hawks have Al Horford healthy, the Knicks gel, and the Celtics and Magic play the way they are capable of playing).

However, they have a chance to become the best team in the Eastern Conference relatively soon if everything aligns the right way and Mr. Bird gets creative on the trade market.

Swapping Danny Granger for Ray Allen straight up will actually improve the Pacers in the short-term, as Allen's long-distance marksmanship and ability to play without the ball is exactly what the Pacers could use.

Granger has become a jump shooter, despite magnificent athleticism, and the simple fact is that Allen is a much, much better jump shooter.

The real reason the Pacers would propose this trade is for financial reasons and to add the two first-round draft picks in this year's insanely deep draft.

The Pacers are going to need to shell out some serious cash to sign All-Star center Roy Hibbert to a contract extension.

Replacing Granger with two talented rookies (who, combined, will cost tens of millions less in salary over the length of their rookie contracts) is a no-brainer for Indiana.

As for the Celtics, I believe they agree to this trade as the draft picks they will be losing should be late first-rounders and certainly not lottery picks.

Allen is only under contract for another 30 games or so anyways, and Granger is a bona fide All-Star talent that would team well with superstar point guard Rajon Rondo.

This would allow the Celtics to move the aging and extremely expensive Paul Pierce in another trade.