Clippers send Blake Griffin to Detroit.

by **steve3344** Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:49 pm

Wow.

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-clippers-finalizing-deal-send-star-forward-blake-griffin-pistons-233837218.html

by **dboss** Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:01 pm

steve3344 wrote:Wow.

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-clippers-finalizing-deal-send-star-forward-blake-griffin-pistons-233837218.html

Wow is right. The Piston just got fleeced. AB and Tobias Harris as main guys in the trade for the often injured Griffin.

dboss

by **dboss** Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:03 pm

The LA Clippers have agreed to trade All-Star forward Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons, league sources tell ESPN.

The Clippers will receive Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and a first-round and second-round draft pick, league sources say. The Clippers are also sending Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit alongside Griffin, sources say.

Protections on Detroit's 2018 first-round pick include 1-4 in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and unprotected in 2021, per sources.

Unbelievable!

dboss

by **dboss** Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:12 pm

This was a really great move by the Clippers.

Harris has turned into a top of the line wing averaging 18 a game and 5 boards and AB is scoring 15 per game. Both hit the 3 ball at a high rate.

But that is just half of it. Griffin's salary next year is around $30 mill. Harris has another year at $14.8 and now AB is more likely to get paid as well. And the Clips get draft picks a first and a second.

dboss

by **cowens/oldschool** Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:22 pm

What a stupid move by the Pistons, that is a terrible contract and when has Blake ever been healthy for a deep playoff run?

by **dboss** Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:45 pm

cowens/oldschool wrote:What a stupid move by the Pistons, that is a terrible contract and when has Blake ever been healthy for a deep playoff run?

Cow

That is it in a nutshell. Griffin is an injury just waiting to happen.

He has 4 years remaining after this one for (rounded up) $32, $34, $37 and $39 million per. What an incredibly stupid and mindless decision by Detroit.

dboss

by **Sandpd** Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:50 pm

Blake Griffin had the perfect reaction after his shocking trade to the Pistons

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/01/blake-griffin-trade-reaction-tweet-pistons-clippers-detroit-twitter-nba-surprised

by **gyso** Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:06 pm

That just goes to show that there is no such thing as an untradeable contract.

by **Sandpd** Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:07 pm

Report: Clippers also looking to trade Jordan, Lou Williams

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/report-clippers-also-looking-to-trade-jordan-lou-williams/ar-BBIqhLn

It looks like the Clippers are opting to go all in for a rebuild.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:09 pm

Right Gyso. He is making a ridiculous amount of $ for a guy who is injured so much. How will he get along with Drummond or is he the next one to go

by **worcester** Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:29 pm

Doc's best move as the Clippers coach. Maybe his last, too.

by **dboss** Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:22 pm

Sandpd wrote:Report: Clippers also looking to trade Jordan, Lou Williams

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/report-clippers-also-looking-to-trade-jordan-lou-williams/ar-BBIqhLn

It looks like the Clippers are opting to go all in for a rebuild.

Not sure it is a full blown rebuild. AB and Harris are still relatively young starters.

I think this is a reconfiguration.

Dboss

by **Sandpd** Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:07 am

dboss wrote:
Sandpd wrote:Report: Clippers also looking to trade Jordan, Lou Williams

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/report-clippers-also-looking-to-trade-jordan-lou-williams/ar-BBIqhLn

It looks like the Clippers are opting to go all in for a rebuild.
Not sure it is a full blown rebuild. AB and Harris are still relatively young starters.

I think this is a reconfiguration.

Dboss

Would you call what the C's did this past off-season a reconfiguration or a re-build with only 4 players from last year returning?

by **gyso** Tue Jan 30, 2018 7:10 am

Sandpd, I guess the term used to describe this trade is "Soft Rebuild"

Trade Grades: Clippers Hit Soft Rebuild With Blake Griffin Trade to Pistons

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/trade-grades-clippers-hit-soft-rebuild-with-blake-griffin-trade-to-pistons/ar-BBIqg0q?li=BBgET5V&ocid=spartandhp

Well, it wasn’t the Clipper anyone expected. After weeks of trade rumors surrounding DeAndre Jordan, the Clips on Monday agreed to send their other star big man, Blake Griffin, to the Pistons. News of the deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, with Detroit reportedly sending Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and two draft picks, a first and a second-rounder. Going to Detroit with Griffin are Brice Johnson and Willie Reed.

The move comes as somewhat of a shock after Griffin inked a new five-year deal to remain with the Clippers last summer totaling just over $171 million in salary. With the trade deadline next Thursday (Feb. 8 ), Detroit’s big swing and L.A.’s apparent step backward should open up a wave of moves to come around the league. Wojnarowski reports the Clippers continue to engage in trade talks surrounding Jordan and the red-hot Lou Williams, lending credence to the notion that L.A. plans to remodel their rotation and aim for a soft reset. For now, let’s just break down this deal. Whew.

DETROIT: A-

Although Griffin may not be too happy about this change of area code after spending his entire career with the Clippers and (being pitched by the franchise in free agency on leaving a legacy as a lifelong member of the team.) Well, that’s out the window and blowing around on Sunset Boulevard. For the Pistons, who are rarely players for star free agents and have been hovering around the middle to low end of the East for much of the last decade, it’s a declaration of immediate intent. Detroit has been sitting on the cusp, and going for it with Griffin will ultimately make or break Stan Van Gundy's tenure with the team.

Detroit opened the season 14–6 and had designs on making a splash in March before backsliding to its current 22–26 mark. Clearly the front office had bigger designs, and saw an opportunity to strike as the Clippers began to dangle the house. Harris and Bradley are the Pistons’ two leading scorers, but both are essentially high-level role guys who were cast into bigger shares of the scoring load. Griffin, when healthy and locked in, is a legitimate offensive bell cow whose scoring and passing can make his entire team better. His addition creates a legitimate opportunity to make a run in an Eastern Conference that—until Cleveland decides what it wants to do in the next 10 days—appears open for the taking.

Pairing Griffin with Drummond creates a fairly intriguing spin on the Clippers’ longtime Griffin-Jordan pairing. Coupling Griffin’s inside-out game with the freakishly athletic Drummond, currently one of the league’s leading rebounders at age 24, should mean space for both to operate. Although Jordan is a superior rim protector, it’s often forgotten how good of a passer Drummond has become (he’s averaging a career-high 3.8 dimes) and that his free throw shooting has also markedly improved this season. Reggie Jackson (who has missed 15 games and counting with an ankle injury) may not be the ideal guard to facilitate for these guys, but should enjoy having Griffin as a high ball-screener. The issue is finding shooters to place around them, and rookie Luke Kennard and swingman Reggie Bullock are currently Detroit’s only options on the wing.

The good news is, the Pistons can try to figure this out long term. The bad news is, they’re locked into serious risk and financial investment for the next several years. Griffin will turn 29 in March and comes with a checkered injury history, having last played 80 games in a season in 2013–14. He is signed through 2020–21 with a player option for 21–22, meaning he could be 33 by the time the Pistons are off the hook for his deal. They’re betting on his health and his chemistry with Drummond, whose massive deal runs through 2020–21 (he has an option for that season). Jackson is also signed through 2019–20, and barring another move, this is what Detroit is working with. The long-term risk may be more consequential than what the Pistons traded away, given Bradley is a free agent to-be, and the better they play, the less valuable this year’s draft pick will be for the Clippers.

Is this new core enough to get the Pistons over the hump? We’ll find out. Of course, they’ll have to keep Griffin happy. But Detroit was already in the market for a wing player, and a second deal to bolster their rotation would be unsurprising. From a competitive standpoint, the potential reward is significant and gives them a chance to be a player in the East. It’s an admirable gambit from Stan Van Gundy and will likely remain the biggest surprise of deadline season.

Clippers: B-*

It would be truly unlike Doc Rivers to deal with a true rebuild, so consider this more of a rejiggering for the Clippers, who were able to get younger, add depth and draft assets, potentially create future cap space and shed Griffin’s albatross contract all at once. Nobody they’re bringing in will magically elevate the roster, and until the deadline passes and we know the fates of Jordan and Williams, it’ll be hard to fully evaluate their decisions (hence, the asterisk). But philosophically, it’s a fascinating play in the long-term.

Harris and Bradley are useful rotation guys, with Harris and Danilo Gallinari giving the Clippers some versatility and scoring in the frontcourt for now. Bradley’s strengths are the exact opposite of what Austin Rivers does well, and if they re-sign him over the summer, he could form one of the league’s best defensive backcourts with currently-injured Patrick Beverley. L.A. as constituted should have enough to continue a push for the eighth seed in the West if the front office so desires. The Pistons’ first-rounder will likely convey this season (it’s only protected for a top-four selection) and the Clippers also add a second-rounder next season. Extra assets never hurt anyone.

But more importantly, the Clippers are probably going to have significant cap space in 2019, when Harris and Marjanovic’s contracts come off the books. Factoring in the loss of Griffin, L.A. can be a player beyond that. It’s well known that owner Steve Ballmer wants to spend and win, and the team will be in position to market the cash and their city to marquee free agents. After all, there’s no guarantee the Lakers are going to be any good. Depending on if and how the Clippers choose to move Jordan, they could become a player this summer.

There’s some level of P.R. hit with the unceremonious closing of the Griffin era, but the NBA is a business and everyone moves on from these things. It wouldn’t be a stretch to expect shock and frustration trickling out of Griffin’s camp one way or another. But it also took some guts for the Clippers to recognize they’d hit a wall and think outside the box. As it turns out, Chris Paul’s departure was just the beginning. Who would have thought DeAndre Jordan would be the last of the big three standing. Anyway, without over-trumpeting this as a brilliant decision to start over, let’s just respect the Clippers’ dice roll. All eyes are on what they do next.

by **KyleCleric** Tue Jan 30, 2018 7:26 am

It's a bold move by Detroit. Griffin has his injury concerns but when he's on the floor, he's a top player. He's within the prime of his career. In terms of value, Detroit giving up long term Harris and a 1st could prove to be a great gamble for them.

by **dboss** Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:45 am

Some of the comments by msn I agree with but not all of them.

The articles states "Harris and Bradley are useful rotation guys" i do not see how you could refer to them as useful rotation guys. They have been NBA starters for quite some time.

Detroit is given an A- while the Clippers get a B- I think they should reverse these grades. The Clippers could not win with Griffin because he always seems to get injured and at 28 he has a shorter shelf life with a very high inventory price tag.

My guess is that Doc had nothing to do with this trade but he will welcome Bradley with open arms.

The Clipper have had some very talented teams over the years but the one piece they have always been missing is a stud small forward/wing that can score from all three areas. Harris is that guy. He is a pretty dynamic player and at only 25 the Clippers have received excellent value.

Detroit will look like a different team for sure as they seem to be embracing the big physical front line setup and moving away from wing players. The Clippers will not miss Griffin but Detroit will miss Harris and Bradley.

This will be very interesting to watch and see if either team makes it to the playoffs. Reports say that the Clippers are also looking to move Jordan. That will be a lot harder to do.

dboss

by **dboss** Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:58 am

Sandpd wrote:
dboss wrote:
Sandpd wrote:Report: Clippers also looking to trade Jordan, Lou Williams

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/report-clippers-also-looking-to-trade-jordan-lou-williams/ar-BBIqhLn

It looks like the Clippers are opting to go all in for a rebuild.
Not sure it is a full blown rebuild. AB and Harris are still relatively young starters.

I think this is a reconfiguration.

Dboss

Would you call what the C's did this past off-season a reconfiguration or a re-build with only 4 players from last year returning?

Sandpd

That is a really good question. I would have to say that it was a rebuild but probably phase II. or maybe it could be viewed as a rebuild within a rebuild. Danny keeps trading up and adding value with each Trade. Although 70% of the roster was turned over, 4 of the top 8 rotation players remain. The amazing thing is that Danny upgraded the roster with trades, free agency and the draft making this team younger and more athletic. He is not quite finished yet but it is pretty damn close to completion.

dboss

by **Sandpd** Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:52 am

"Although 70% of the roster was turned over, 4 of the top 8 rotation players remain."

And only one of them was a starter from last year.

You're right about it being ever-changing and evolving. Danny doesn't remain stagnant, he's always looking ahead as in a game of chess.

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