On Monday night, the Clippers dealt 5 time all-star Blake Griffin along with forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed to the Pistons for guard Avery Bradley, forward Tobias Harris, center Boban Marjanovic, and a pair of draft picks. A clear winner of this trade has yet to be seen, but it could go either way...
The Case For Los Angeles
Dumping the massive contract of Griffin is already a victory for the Clippers, but they acquired some talent in addition. Bradley is known as perhaps the best backcourt defender in basketball, dating back to his days with the Celtics. He dropped off a bit this year, his first not spent in Boston after being dealt for Marcus Morris in July, but still has the potential to reach another level offensively. Harris has developed nicely into a potent three man who can run as a stretch four if necessary. His shooting has improved greatly over the years, and he has molded into an all around threat and frankly one of the most underrated players in the league. The tradeoff of Griffin for Harris already seems to benefit the Clippers, but they also added a solid role player in the 7'3'' Marjanovic, who plays a very traditional center role, and has developed nicely since his benchwarming days under the instruction of both Gregg Popovich and Stan Van Gundy. In addition, LA acquired a pair of picks, a protected first rounder as well as a second round pick, with the years still unclear. These picks, especially the former, will really help the Clippers out if they choose to continue trending in the rebuild direction by trading either DeAndre Jordan or Louis Williams. Obviously the loss of Griffin, a first overall pick and a born leader, will hurt, but after some incidents piled up, including one where he broke his hand in an altercation with a team employee, the Clippers rightfully decided to move on. A more subtle loss is that of Reed, who they replaced with Marjanovic, though they play differently. As for Johnson, a great college player who never really blossomed as a pro, but has seen good minutes so far this year, he seems to be just a throw in. Overall, Los Angeles definitely took a step in the rebuild direction, but if they do choose to go that way, it seems like a good start.
The Case For Detroit
Certainly is doesn't hurt to add a five time all-star to your roster, but Griffin had a troubled time in Los Angeles, with the locker room altercation and the countless on-court injuries. He never led his team to a conference final, even when they seemed to be the best team in the West. Yet Griffin can no doubt help any team when healthy, averaging 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in his career. Even on his off nights, he can eat minutes like few others, averaging over 35 minutes of gameplay per night since 2010. Griffin is also a fantastic facilitator at the forward position, and DeAndre Jordan averaged 4 points per game more in games that Griffin played in than the ones he didn't. A similar situation seems likely as Griffin teams up with two time all-star Andre Drummond, who is in the midst of perhaps the best season of his career. His defensive presence will also be of great help to the Pistons who lose Bradley, the league's premier defender, Marjanovic, a huge shot-blocking presence, and are left with perhaps the worst defender in the league in point man Reggie Jackson. An underrated addition in this trade is Reed, a 6'9'', 220 pound matchup nightmare who plays to big for most forwards but too fast for most centers. A sneaky offensive presence, Reed has a career high of 22 points, and adds a different style to the team in place of Marjanovic. Unlike Los Angeles, the Pistons are clearly trying to win now, but it may still take an additional backcourt addition to give them a legitimate shot in the east.
