The Detroit Pistons are in a very crucial position as a franchise given that they are rebuilding for the future and have some valuable assets that if they make the wrong moves with, it could set them back many years. The Pistons have made the playoffs twice in the last eleven seasons, but with some youthful talent and proven talent on their roster, they are in a position to grow into one of the better and younger teams in the NBA. Trading Blake Griffin could be in the future as well, and the New York Knicks might be a potential trade partner.

This offseason, the Pistons were very busy, as they drafted three high-level prospects in the first-round: Killian Hayes (7th overall), Isaiah Stewart (16th overall) and Saddiq Bey (19th overall), and they also signed Jerami Grant and Miles Plumlee to multi-year deals. Not to mention, the Pistons also have veterans Derrick Rose and Griffin still under contract and as high value trade targets for other teams.

While they are not expected to make the playoffs this season, the Pistons have a lot to be happy about in terms of the future. All three of these rookies, along with Sekou Doumbouya and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, make up what seems to be a sustainable young core for many years to come.

The goal this season for the Pistons is to get their young talent as much time on the court together as possible and continue to develop them into something special for the future, but that leaves Rose and Griffin as “dead weight” in a sense on this roster. Neither player wants to waste the back-half of their career with a losing team, which is why one or both of them could wind up being traded.

The Pistons acquired Blake Griffin in 2018 from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 protected first-round pick and a 2019 second-round selection, but things have been rocky in Detroit for Blake Griffin. In his first season with the Pistons, Griffin made the All-Star game, but last season, Griffin sat out almost the entire year due to lingering knee issues. 

With Griffin being owed close to $75 million over the next two years, assuming that he opts into his $38.9 million player option for the 2021-22 season, trading him would open up a lot of cap space for the Pistons to play around with in free agency and potentially better them moving forward. They have too much money committed to the 31-year-old forward that it makes sense for the Pistons to explore trade opportunities for him this season. 

Let’s take a look at a trade that would send Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin to the New York Knicks in exchange for a younger forward and some draft capital.