Detroit Pistons: Potential landing spots for Blake Griffin
Up and coming teams that need an alpha dog
Phoenix Suns
Blake Griffin would be a perfect fit for the Phoenix Suns. He can take a lot of pressure off Devin Booker on offense and form a great fit with Deandre Ayton. Booker can play off of Griffin and shoot find easier shots and Ayton can do a lot of the things on offense that Drummond can do, plus shoot a little bit.
Griffin will also help build a winning culture in Phoenix, which is huge for every young team aspiring to win it all. His leadership on and off the floor is as valuable as any other aspect of his game.
The Pistons do this trade to get a valuable young two-way wing and a draft pick. Mikal Bridges and their 2020 first-round pick. Getting a player like Dario Saric or Aron Baynes would be a bonus and probably necessary for salary filling purposes. Tyler Johnson‘s expiring deal would serve as another salary filler.
This could be the basis of a deal that makes sense for both teams. The Pistons get young talent and clear off their books while the Suns get a veteran star that can lead their team to a winning team in the West.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are another team out West that could think “hey, we would really want Blake Griffin on our team”. He’s a great fit with Karl Anthony Towns. Both can handle, pass and shoot at an elite level for the big man positions.
They should be able to force their will on the rest of the NBA. The question becomes, what assets are they willing to give up? Jarrett Culver would be a great get. The Wolves also have some big salaries in Gorgui Dieng at 16 million and Jeff Teague expiring at 19 million.
Getting their 2020 first-round pick is again the target. If they’re reluctant to give that up, they would have to compensate with some young talent. In any case, there are deals to be made here.
Would the Timberwolves be excited to offer that kind of package for Griffin? It depends on how well they perform until the deadline. If Andrew Wiggins and Towns continue to perform and the teams is in relative position to make a push, they could be.
The Pistons should be excited to get a very promising high draft selection in Culver and another pick. Pick protections also play a role here. A lottery-protected pick could be enough incentive for the Pistons to go on with the deal.
Another scenario involves a Wiggins Griffin swap. The Pistons get an overpaid yet promising young wing in Wiggins while the Timberwolves get an upgrade on their star talent. Wiggins’ contract is concerning but it could just get down to that.
Even more interesting but more of a long shot is a three-team deal. The Timberwolves swap Wiggins for Griffin, while the Pistons swap Griffin for Aaron Gordon and Khem Birch. They get a two-way replacement at power forward and solve the backup center problem.
The Magic solve their logjam by getting back an overpaid but capable wing that can actually play small forward and shoot the ball well. It’s a win for all teams in my mind. Maybe the Pistons should ask for some draft picks but you can work around this deal.
It will be interesting to see Griffin’s trade value and that will be tested at the trade deadline. The Pistons won’t actively try to move him but they’ll ask around. Then, the offers will come and there are at least a couple or more teams that should be interested.
Next. Blake Griffin's role may be changing with the Pistons. dark
How many picks are they willing to give up, what kind of promising young players, what type of salary filler? Mediocre veterans, expiring or bad contracts? All these factors will play out in the next months, so I guess we’ll see.