February Trade Rumors: Randolph to Indiana

As we approach the February 21st trade deadline, its shaping up to be a busy stretch for GMs around the league.  We here at PickandPopDiaries will report any trades that do actually go down, but in the meantime we figured we would fire up the trade machine and think of some trades that could be beneficial for both teams. With the first domino falling in Memphis with the shipping out of Rudy Gay, it would make sense that the team continues to dump salary as the new ownership looks to build its own roster. In this trade rumor, I will look at the possibility of Zach Randolph being dealt to Indiana for Danny Granger and Tyler Hansbrough.

Let's examine this deal:

For Memphis: 

Memphis would continue to free up salary cap space by dumping the remainder of Zach Randolph's contract all while acquiring a former all star in Granger.  While Granger is coming off of a knee injury, something that could scare off suitors, I believe he will be a good player once again.  He can play solid defense all while being a devastating shooter from long distance and in isolation plays.  Along with Granger, who would fill the whole Rudy Gay left behind, the team would get Tyler Hansbrough, a solid physical power forward.  Memphis would have immediately increased depth with Tayshaun Prince moving to the bench while Ed Davis and Hansbrough battled it out for minutes at the PF spot.  This would allow immediate cap relief with the expiring deal of Hansbrough and would get them out of the long term deal one year earlier as Granger has only two years remaining instead of the three years owed Randolph.

For Indiana: 

Well I think this is a no brainer for Indiana.  They get to add an all star caliber front court mate to pair with Hibbert, someone who will go get them a double-double nightly and a player who they can isolate on the block for different looks offensively.  With Granger out, this is like adding a top notch power forward to the rotation in place of Hansbrough.  Yes, the contract is a beefy one and would hinder Indiana's ability to sign free agents in the future, but with Davis West coming off the books this would be an ideal replacement for them for the next few seasons.

Sound off in the comments, is this deal something you would do?

Check out the rest of our February Trade Rumor Series
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