The Top 10 Most Important Detroit Pistons Moments of the Decade
4. Pistons Trade for Blake Griffin
As a Pistons fan, this was my personal favorite moment of the 2010s. After years of watching a mediocre team post mediocre records, it was genuinely exciting to hear the news that bonafide star Blake Griffin would be joining the Pistons.
I didn’t care that he was probably at the tail end of his prime or that his fit next to Andre Drummond wasn’t perfect or that his contract wasn’t particularly movable, the Pistons had a star.
The Blake Griffin trade felt like the culmination of Stan Van Gundy’s time in Detroit. Van Gundy had pulled off quite a few heists during his time in Detroit, as if he was hitting the trade finder on 2K and trading up until he landed on a star.
Potential trade destinations for Blake Griffin. light. Related Story
Despite my giddiness as a Pistons fan, it was clear the trade wasn’t perfect. Other than the fit and contract size, there were concerns that the Pistons had just transformed into a lesser version of the Clippers. Instead of Deandre Jordan, the Pistons employed Drummond, a more versatile player overall but not the rim-protector Jordan was.
Instead of Hall of Famer Chris Paul, the Pistons had Reggie Jackson. Not to mention that Griffin hadn’t made an all-star team in nearly 3 years.
But in order to be relevant in the NBA you need stars. The Pistons finally had theirs and had even won the trade to acquire him. They traded Tobias Harris, a solid player but not Blake Griffin, Bobjan Marajanovic, Avery Bradley, a 1st Round Pick (Miles Bridges) and a 2nd Round Pick (Jaylen Hands).
In his first full season as a Piston, Griffin returned to All-Star status and had one of the best seasons of his career. It was officially Griffin’s team and it seemed the success of the rest of the decade would be set upon Griffin’s shoulders and as we have seen this season, when he’s not 100%, neither are the Pistons.