NBA Trade Rumors 2016: Will the Clippers Trade Blake Griffin?
Blake Griffin is someone the Los Angeles Clippers would have wanted to stick around and become the franchise's cornerstone for years to come. Obviously, he has the talent and star quality to become like Tim Duncan for the Spurs and Dirk Nowitzki for the Mavericks. But one thing those two don't have are off-court issues and nagging injuries.
It's unfair to get rid of Griffin just because he punched a team staff member and breaking his own hand in the process. But then again, in a league where the business of winning is more important than anything else, such a minor but very relevant issue might be sufficient enough for any team, including the Clippers to explore trade options. After all, its trade season in the NBA!
So will Doc Rivers and the Clippers really trade their All-Star forward? For the sake of argument, let us say yes. The question now is where should he be headed?
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The first interesting destination would have to be San Antonio. Yes, they already have someone lined up to replace Duncan once he decides to retire in the person of LaMarcus Aldridge. However, they can instead send Aldridge to the Clippers in exchange for Griffin. It makes a lot of sense, right? We're pretty sure Chris Paul would welcome the pick and roll potential with the offensive minded Aldridge.
If a Spurs trade isn't viable, the Clippers can instead try a visibly struggling team in the New Orleans Pelicans. Other than Anthony Davis, everyone in that team is expendable. What if the Pelicans send Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson, and maybe a draft pick for Griffin? The thought of having Davis and Griffin in one team is more than fascinating!
But simply for the sake of balance, a lot of basketball pundits will agree that it is fairer to see Griffin go to an Eastern Conference contender. There are a lot of good young teams in the East that can provide the Clippers up-and-coming stars in exchange for Griffin. The list includes the Miami Heat with promising young center Hassan Whiteside, or more interestingly, Chris Bosh, the Boston Celtics with their surplus of young wing players, Cleveland with Kevin Love, and maybe the New York Knicks with rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis or even Carmelo Anthony.
Griffin is definitely a player who every team will have interest in when he's made available in the trade market. But the possibility of it happening is slim at this point, unless of course the Clippers front office pulls the plug for an offer they can't resist passing up.
