One of the biggest NBA trades on Thursday came less than an hour before the deadline expired, with the Indiana Pacers sending Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Evan Turner. The deal actually came so close to the deadline passing that Turner had already started planning a vacation for when the regular season came to an end.
The Sixers are one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Pacers have the best record in the Eastern Conference and are a legitimate championship contender. Turner was shocked when he heard the news.
“Definitely excited. Still shocked; I thought the trade deadline was over,” Turner told Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. “I was actually setting up my postseason (vacation) with my agent’s assistant and pretty much when I was telling her the days I wanted to go. (Then) she said, ‘Well, no we can’t book (those days), you’ve just got traded.’
“Hopefully, I can play basketball while it’s nice out. That’s the best time to do it. I’m looking forward to the future and the next few months with the team.”
Turner will gladly delay his vacation if it means getting a shot to play basketball in the late spring and early summer. As for Granger — well, getting traded from a team that has won 41 games to a cellar-dweller with only 15 wins can’t be easy.
Danny Granger was "pissed" when he learned he was traded to the Sixers, per league source.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 21, 2014
Granger spent more than eight seasons with the Pacers and was once their best offensive players, but he missed almost the entire 2012-2013 season with knee injuries. He has played in just 29 games this season and is averaging 8.3 points per game. On the bright side, he can now start planning an April vacation to the tropical paradise of his choice.
Chest bump to Ball Don’t Lie
