Former All-Star could be heading out West after buy-out from Philadelphia.
The Los Angeles Clippers have moved ahead in the hotly contested race to land former Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger.
Senior offcials from the Clippers met with members of Granger’s representative team during LA’s game with the Houston Rockets, with initial reports suggesting the two moved closer to a deal.
Granger has become a hot property around the league for prospective title contenders this season after he was a late trade on deadline day, as Indiana sent him to Philadelphia for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen.
The move to send Granger to the tanking 76ers angered the one-club player and he quickly made moves to be bought out, sparking interest around the league in spite of his big fall away in production this season, due in part to injuries and limited game time behind Paul George.
The Clippers have been busy this season in trying to add depth too their side for a possible playoff run, picking up Stephen Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu and Sasha Vujacic.
However, with J.J. Redick still out with a back injury and Jamal Crawford leaving the game against the Rockets with a calf strain, Clippers coach Doc Rivers is desperate to land Granger ahead of others teams such as San Antonio, Miami and Chicago, Houston and Dallas
“Of course!” when asked if L.A. would like to sign him, but then added: “That’ll be up to Danny.”
Granger’s team has said they not only want a place on a team with a good fit for the 30-year-old but also the chance at solid game-time.
The Miami Heat have also been mentioned as a potential Granger suitor, but ESPN.com reported Tuesday the two-time defending champs have to this point focused their efforts on clinching a deal with former Heat draft pick Caron Butler, whose buyout from the Milwaukee Bucks, sources said, was also progressing toward completion Wednesday.
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