NBA Trade News 2018: Blockbuster Deal Sends Blake Griffin To Detroit Pistons
Over a week before the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons sealed a blockbuster deal sending Blake Griffin to the latter on Monday.
Griffin, along with power forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed, were traded to the Pistons in exchange for a longer list of players from the said team that included Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley and Boban Marjanovic. The Clippers also acquired the Pistons' protected first-round pick in 2018 and a second-round pick in the 2019 draft.
It is important to note that Griffin just renewed his agreement with the Clippers in July 2017 that involved a five-year contract amounting to over $171 million. With the trade, his stay with the Pistons is pegged up until the 2021-2022 NBA season.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
On top of his previous deal, Griffin's contract cites a trade kicker which will now be paid by the Pistons that amounts to $215,000 for every remaining year, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In a news release, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer praised Griffin for the "tremendous impact" he brought to the organization. On the other hand, the Clippers' president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank referred to Griffin as "one of the best players ever to wear a Clippers jersey."
"This was a very difficult decision, but we ultimately felt it was appropriate for the franchise," Frank added.
According to ESPN's sources, negotiations for the blockbuster trade deal started six days before it was officially signed. The same report said the Clippers is still on the table to discuss possible deals involving Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan.
The Los Angeles franchise's reported game plan is to focus on their younger players while building a strong lineup of drafts in the coming years. Despite letting go of their veteran key players -- first, Chris Paul, then, Griffin -- the Clippers are still looking to compete in the 2017-18 playoffs season.
Griffin received one of the first public welcome messages from his new teammate Andre Drummond who called him "now a true friend of the crown" in an Instagram post.
On Griffin's end, the player was of the same mindset as he said on his own Instagram page: "Now I'm ready for the next chapter, getting to work and helping the Detroit Pistons make a run in the Eastern Conference."
