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The (Sort of) Final Result of the Blake Griffin Trade

By Ryan Snellings

LA Clippers Detroit Pistons Blake Griffin (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
LA Clippers Detroit Pistons Blake Griffin (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 12: Tempers flair between Patrick Beverley #21 of the Los Angeles Clippers and Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons at the end of the game at Staples Center on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 12: Tempers flair between Patrick Beverley #21 of the Los Angeles Clippers and Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons at the end of the game at Staples Center on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

After trading Blake Griffin a little over a year ago, the LA Clippers have a haul that may be worth more than the star player they sent out.

In January of 2017, the LA Clippers prematurely kicked off the trade deadline excitement when they sent Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Avery Bradley, a 2018 first round pick and a second round pick.

Despite some fan push back from moving one of the greatest players in team history after promising him he would retire a Clipper, no one had a problem with the actual logistics of the trade for the Clips when it happened.

The team got a potential starter in Bradley, an All-Star-esque player in Harris, and a nice rotational piece in Harris. The gain of a first round pick was also great, especially in the rather deep draft of 2018. They also managed to offload Griffin’s contract, which he had just signed in the summer. While still a great player, the future cost of his deal coupled with his injury history made keeping him somewhat scary.

If that were the final results of the trade, it would be safe to say that LA made out pretty well. However, in this iteration of the front office, nothing is that simple.

One year later and every single piece received from that trade has been subsequently traded. (The first rounder was swapped with the Hornets along with giving them the second rounder in order to obtain the draft rights to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.)

The front office is showing no signs of complacency and likely won’t until they meet their ultimate goal of landing a superstar, whether it be Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant this summer or by trading for someone like Anthony Davis.

So how much did the Blake Griffin trade really net us?

In short: A lot. I mean, a whole lot. Both in practice and theoretically.

Let’s first dive into each individual deal that subsequently happened after the Griffin trade and then we will look at the final outcome.

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