With a player option and a new house being built in the city, it’s unlikely we’ll see Danny Granger playing somewhere other than with the Phoenix Suns next season. I’m not sure how the team feels about it.
At 32, Granger shouldn’t look all washed up, but with too many injuries coming wave after wave over the last four years, there’s no wonder a talented scorer has been slightly robbed of the final years of his prime, and is looking a season or two away from retiring.
Granger was supposed to start something new and good with the Miami Heat this season but played just 30 times, averaging 6.3 points per game before traded to the Suns as part of the deal that brought Goran Dragic to Miami. Both teams ended up missing the playoffs, although the Suns made the kind of moves that made it quite clear they’re not banking on making the postseason.
So what now? Granger himself seemed to be in the mode of looking after a contender to spend the rest of his career with. The Pacers basically got rid of him in 2014 for Evan Turner and the Sixers bought him out. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers but barely played a factor in their short playoff run which lasted two rounds, exiting in the conference semifinals.
Granger was an All-Star for a moment with the Pacers and seemed to be a talented veteran that gives the Pacers, along with the emerging Paul George, a very talented wing duo. But then the injuries came, and Granger missed almost all of the 2012-2013 season. He never bounced back from that injury, and with his demand being so low out there, settling for the $2.17 million player option is the best thing he has going for him in terms of stretching his NBA career a little bit longer.
Granger didn’t play a single game for the Suns last season, instead getting to rehab his knee, hopefully well enough to give himself another shot at sustaining his slipping career.
I’ve only been here a month but I have felt a difference. I’ve been improving. I’ll use the rest of the summer to keep improving. I think the guys have done a great job with correcting a lot of imbalances that I’ve had and I’ve played with for the last 10 or 11 years.