Detroit Pistons: What kind of trade value does Blake Griffin have?

Do you think the Detroit Pistons should consider moving their best player? Here’s what a deal for Blake Griffin might look like.

The Detroit Pistons are now two games under the .500 mark this season with two losses of 20 points or more in the last week.

They’re banged up right now with injuries. The second unit has struggled without Ish Smith and it’s obvious. The Pistons are 4-10 in his absence.

With how they’ve been playing, it feels like they are going to continue sliding even with the win last night.

The cold hard fact is even with this team being completely healthy, it’s still not a very good one.

What is their ceiling? The sixth seed as of right now. They’re a game and a half behind the Miami Heat who already beat Detroit in their first meeting of the season.

Blake Griffin has been the one of the only players to remain consistent.

At times, he’s played like an MVP candidate this season. There are a number of performances to point at in this situation.

The 50-point game he had early on this season in an overtime thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers put the league on notice.

Griffin is averaging a career-high 24.8 points per game right now. He’s been able to do that by embracing this new role with the Detroit Pistons.

He’s extended his range to the three-point line. Griffin is shooting 36.7 percent from deep which is above league average. He still has the ability to put his body into someone and get to the rim at will.

If it wasn’t for the inability of his supporting cast to knock down shots consistently, Griffin would easily be averaging a triple double. He typically puts his teammates in a good position to score because of the volume of double team’s that come his way.

Griffin’s eight rebounds and five assists a game show how well-rounded of a player he’s become as well.

Considering all of this, what would you say his trade value is?

For an example and a comparison, let’s look at a premiere player that was just moved via trade not too long ago. That would be Philadelphia guard Jimmy Butler.

Griffin averages more points per game than Butler. Part of that has to do with Griffin’s usage percentage being higher.

He has a better true shooting percentage and nearly the same player efficiency rating.

Griffin’s numbers still suggest that he’s a more well-rounded player than Butler. He averages more assists and rebounds per game as well.

Butler and Justin Patton were traded from Minnesota Philadelphia for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a second-round pick.

Griffin and Butler are both 29 years old as well.

Here are a few things to consider in this trade.

Butler basically forced his way out so Philadelphia did have leverage in this situation. He also makes $19.8 million a year and is only on contract through 2020.

Griffin’s contract situation isn’t nearly as appealing. He’s currently in the second year of a five-year, $171 million deal. By the end of Griffin’s deal, he will be making $38.9 million. He will be 33 by then.

That’s what makes it difficult to assess his trade value. What team would be willing to take on that contract?

Before you want to chew my head off for even remotely suggesting that the Detroit Pistons trade Griffin, here are some things to consider.

Let’s say they do it.

Suddenly, the Pistons aren’t in the salary cap crisis they are in. They currently sit right below the luxury tax line which makes it difficult for them to make any kind of moves.

The other thing is the return. They’d likely get a productive rotational player and at least a first-round pick in return. Again, this is the hard part assessing trade value.

You don’t really know what the return would be.

The final thing to consider is what this team is without Griffin. They are in the lottery of the upcoming draft without his production and that’s not even a debate.

What do you find to be more valuable?

On the flip side, the Detroit Pistons are still in the playoff picture. With some help from the supporting cast on this team, Detroit could go as high as the 5-6 seed in the eastern conference playoff picture.

This organization hasn’t had a player of this caliber in over a decade as well. He’s the type of player that might be able to attract another star-caliber player to Detroit.

In my opinion, what’s the point when everyone knows they won’t make it out of the first round because of one of the four teams they would have to play.

You’re looking at Toronto, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Indiana as the current top four seeds.

The Pistons are a combined 2-7 against these four teams.

Pistons fans, what do you think?