Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger Available, Dallas Mavericks Ideal Trade Partner
Danny Granger is the franchise player for the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have considered him untouchable as far as trades go, or have they?
The Pacers quietly listened to offers nearing the draft last year on a deal that featured Danny Granger and then-Minnesota’s Al Jefferson. Now, According to Mark Stein from ESPN.com, they are listening once again.
The truth is that Granger, still the best player in a Pacers uniform, has not been as good as last year. His scoring is down to less than 21 points per game and he is struggling only shooting 41 percent from the field.
The team started the season well, but has recently cooled off. Although they are in the Eastern Conference top eight teams, they are not as good as they want to be.
Danny Granger has embraced his captain role with the Pacers but it is easily seen he is better suited as a Robin rather than a Batman. Playing next to another all-star or superstar could be what Granger needs.
Granger plays the small forward position as and has the ability to switch to shooting guard and at times, power forward. Mike Dunleavy, Brandon Rush and lottery pick Paul George play the same position. In a sense, the Pacers best player is also playing in a crowded spot full of rising talent.
The question is: Should the Pacers trade Granger?
At this point, I would think the answer is no. But that may very well change in a heartbeat. If the Pacers fail to improve before the trade deadline, they should think very hard about it. If the team does not perform, they might be better off increasing the playing time of youngsters Rush and George and using Mike Dunleavy more often.
What is nice about this for the Pacers is that they could get a very good exchange from Granger. Granger is signed for the next four years and is making slightly under $11 million this year. That price tag is actually not too high for a player of his caliber, something trading partners would welcome. He is also in his prime at the age of 27.
Naturally, as both a Pacers and a Mavericks fan, the first thing that came to mind is how much the Mavericks could use a guy like Granger, and how much the Pacers could benefit from what the Mavericks could offer. Let’s take a close look at this.
The Pacers need to get a big man to spell Roy Hibbert who constantly gets into foul trouble and goes on shooting slumps. The Mavericks can offer Brendan Haywood, who although is signed for the next six years (five guaranteed), does not come at a huge price tag for a big man.
The Pacers also need point guard help as they will likely not re-sign T.J. Ford. The Mavericks could offer very talented Rodrigue Beaubois. As for salary cap relief, the Mavericks can throw in Caron Butler’s expiring contract of $10.56 million.
On the other hand, the Pacers would have to include a few players to make this work. They could send Jeff Foster packing, who is likely to end his career after his contract expires at the end of the season and Dahntay Jones who has been on the trading block for a while anyway.
These are two players that are clearly not in the Pacers future anyway. The Mavericks could play Jones sparingly after the loss of Butler and can use Foster as a backup to Nowitzki for a few minutes.
In summary, the trade involves the following:
Pacers: Danny Granger ($10.97 million), Jeff Foster ($6.66 million), Dahntay Jones ($2.5 million)
Mavericks: Caron Butler ($10.56 million), Rodrigue Beaubois ($1.156 million), Brendan Haywood ($6.9 million)
Salaries match, I did the math. Dallas can even throw a first-round pick in to the mix to sweeten the deal. Both teams benefit tremendously from this trade. It just makes a lot of sense. Like I said, this is not something that needs to be done, but come the trade deadline, if objectives are not met, it would be ideal for both teams.
