The NBA trade deadline is active until Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. This time of year is always a big one for the NBA as most teams can switch up their whole identity and future as an organization mid-season all during this one month period. There has already been one huge trade that has gone down, and that is Blake Griffin being shipped off to the Detroit Pistons from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Griffin was the first overall draft pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Clippers. Griffin has been on the Clippers ever since being drafted and is a five-time NBA all-star selection while playing for them. The Clippers are really rebuilding by sending Griffin away and also having Chris Paul leave for Houston in the offseason. Griffin, along with Brice Johnson and Willie Reed, go to Detroit while Los Angeles receives Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and a protected first round pick along with a future second round selection. The Pistons gave up a lot for Griffin here. Bradley is a great defender and Harris got them 18 points a game. They also gave up some big draft picks all for Griffin.
Griffin had his debut game this past Thursday, Feb. 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies and had a remarkable one to say the least. With only knowing four plays from the playbook, he posted 24 points and 10 rebounds, a double-double his first night as a Piston.
It will be interesting to see how Griffin and Andre Drummond play together down the stretch as they can now be one of the top front court duos in the league. The one bad factor that can be seen in this is Griffin’s injury history. Griffin gets injured every season, usually missing at least 20 games or missing the playoffs. The Pistons are stronger down in the post, but only when Griffin is healthy and on the court. Otherwise, they are an even weaker team than before the trade. Griffin will need to stay healthier going forward to make this trade worth it for the Pistons.
For the Clippers they now have some good pieces to work with and look to finish it off with possibly landing a bigger star player during this deadline or in the offseason. Deandre Jordan, Bradley and Harris could make a talented trio in Los Angeles over time, but we will have to see how they work together as the season goes on. With these pieces they now have, the Clippers seem as they will be one of the bottom playoff team in the West while the Pistons will definitely be a playoff team in the weaker Eastern Conference. All in all, the winner of this trade is definitely the Pistons as long as they can stay healthy.
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