Phoenix Suns could benefit from Danny Granger’s veteran presence, leadership

PHOENIX — They are the two things the Phoenix Suns have lacked all season long: veteran presence and leadership.

Danny Granger checks both boxes.

“Whether he’s playing or just around the locker room, just any veteran leadership that he can add will be helpful,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said.

The Suns finally welcomed Granger into the fold on Monday, more than two weeks after he was acquired from the Miami Heat as part of the Feb. 19 trade that sent Goran Dragic to South Beach.

The delay in Granger’s reporting had more to do with him and his agent exploring the option of accepting a buyout and signing with a contender by the March 1 deadline than his feelings towards Phoenix.

In fact, Granger and his wife, both of whom went to University of New Mexico, are in the process of building a home in the Valley and making Arizona their permanent residence.

“We would come here a lot in college, so even before I was in the NBA, I would come to the Phoenix area,” said Granger, noting their fondness for a climate that is similar to that of New Mexico.

“We just always said we would love to have a home in Phoenix. Now, its 11 years later, we decided to build here.”

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