When the LA Clippers traded Blake Griffin, all of Clipper Nation was conflicted. Logically, the trade made sense and laid the foundation to get the team where it is today. Emotionally, it was a painful shot to our collective hearts to watch arguably the most important Clipper ever leave unceremoniously.
Now, there might be a chance to heal some of that pain.
If Blake Griffin ends up being bought out by the Detroit Pistons, the LA Clippers should look at bringing him back.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Blake being bought out is a possibility, albeit an extremely unlikely one. As it stands, Blake’s contract is an albatross of a deal given his production but the Pistons are still doing their due diligence to try and move him. If for whatever reason they cannot though, a buyout is still something they are exploring.
"The Pistons will continue to pursue trade scenarios involving Griffin and talks on a contract buyout with his agent Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports could eventually come into focus."
If the Clippers can get him on a veteran minimum salary, why not go for it? I’m not going to advocate that Blake at this point in his career should start but as a third backup big, the team could do a lot worse. He’s having very a down year, putting up 12.3 points on 36.5% shooting (31.5% from deep on 6.2 attempts), 3.9 assists, and 5.2 rebounds in a little over 31 minutes a game.
For someone making $36.5 million and starting this season, that’s not great. For a bench guy on a contender at a minimum, those numbers would be a lot more palatable. The Clips would get more playmaking on their bench and could run versatile small ball units featuring Griffin. He would also give them one more floor-spacing big, similar to what Patrick Patterson but at a slightly higher level.
I know. Typing “Patrick Patterson but at a slightly higher level” hurt me to type about Blake. That’s just where he is and why bringing him to the Clippers wouldn’t even be about the basketball side of things. It’s about history.
Fans want Blake back. He is the reason many of us fell in love with this team despite its long history of losing. To see him back in a Clippers uniform would mean so much, especially if this talented group could help him finally earn a championship ring.
Sure, he can join some other contender like the Brooklyn Nets (reuniting with DeAndre Jordan in the process) or the Los Angeles Lakers (This also hurt to type but the fit and logic are there) that need a power forward but how perfect would it be for him to come back to where it all started?
If it does get to a point where he’s bought out, I hope the front office at least reaches out to Blake to see what he’s thinking. Having him back would mean the world to Clipper Nation.