NBA Roster News 2018: Los Angeles Clippers Trade Five-Time All-Star Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons
The Blake Griffin era has officially come to an end.
On Monday evening, the Los Angeles Clippers shocked the basketball community when they traded Griffin to the Detroit Pistons for promising forward Tobias Harris, two-way guard Avery Bradley, plodding center Boban Marjanović, a protected 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 second-rounder.
Big men Brice Johnson and Willie Reed were also shipped to Detroit as part of the deal.
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"Blake Griffin had a tremendous impact on this organization and his legacy within the community of Los Angeles will be permanent. It was a pleasure getting to know and cheer for Blake. I wish him, as well as Brice and Willie, the best of luck," Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said in a statement on Monday, via NBA.com.
"While change is hard, my confidence in our front office, led by Lawrence Frank and Michael Winger, along with the sage counsel of Jerry West, has never been higher. I believe today, more than ever, in our ultimate goal of winning an NBA Championship," he continued.
Well, people just didn't see this coming.
The Clippers reportedly offered Griffin to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns a few weeks ago, but observers didn't really expect them to trade away a player who just signed a five-year, $173-million contract in the offseason.
Now he's heading to Detroit to become the focal point of the Pistons offense.
In 33 games with the Clippers this season, Griffin averaged 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in under 35 minutes, and he shot 44.1 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three-point range, and 78.5 percent from the free-throw line.
It's difficult to grade the trade for both teams right now, but it's interesting to note that the Clippers now have the financial flexibility to potentially go after notable free agents like LeBron James and Paul George this summer.
