The Clippers have officially announced their signing of Danny Granger, who cleared waivers today after he agreed to a buyout with the Sixers on Wednesday. The former All-S
tar and five-time Pacers scoring leader is perhaps the most significant coup on the buyout market, and he strengthens a Clippers team already in championship contention. He joins Glen Davis as another key acquisition for the Clippers in the wake of the trade deadline, bringing the team’s roster to 14 players, which leaves room for one more.
Granger had also been considering the Bulls, Spurs, Heat, and Rockets, and the Mavs had been expected to make a run at him, too. He was traded to the Sixers from the Pacers at the trade deadline after spending the first eight-plus years of his career in Indiana, but was subsequently waived after negotiating a buyout. Terms and length of the potential deal being discussed are not yet known. Aaron Mintz of the Creative Artists Agency represents Granger, as our Agency Database shows.
The Clippers had the edge over the other teams, since they are able to offer the most playing time, perhaps making him a starter at small forward. Granger also has an offseason home in Los Angeles. He wanted to play for a contender, and with the Clippers’ record of 40-20, four games back of the Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference, they definitely fit that description.
The ninth-year veteran has struggled to regain his form after missing all but five games last season. Granger played in 29 games for the Pacers before being traded to the Sixers, and averaged 8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 22.5 minutes per contest. He didn’t see any action for the Sixers, and last saw the court on February 19th, when he scored two points in 18 minutes versus the Timberwolves.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star originally reported that Granger had chosen to sign with the Clippers.
yay
I think this is simply insurance for JJ Reddick. We dont know when or if he’ll be back. Jared Dudley has also surprisingly struggled at times, so Granger will help fill in, assuming he is healthy (though I’m curious to see if losing Dudley defensively does anything). I’m curious to see what his role will be and how he fits. I feel like he would be better off as a stretch 4 for them, but Blake Griffin has surprised me this year with his consistency and improvement in certain areas (being more aggressive with his post game and an improved jumpshot). It has me backing off my stance a little that they’d be better with a stretch 4 instead of Griffin. I think part of it is Blake’s passing ability that allows him to play with DeAndre Jordan (who I’ve been really high on for the last 2-3 years)