It has been a struggle for former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin to find his form with the Detroit Pistons so far this season. Now, it appears both sides appear that moving on is the best course of action.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons will sit Blake Griffin until the team can find a solution to send him to a new team — whether by using a trade or through a buyout agreement.
“Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons have agreed that he will be out of the lineup until the franchise and his representatives work through a resolution on his playing future, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver told ESPN.
“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.”
It will be a challenge for the Pistons to ultimately trade Blake Griffin when considering he’s set to earn $36.6M during this season and $39M in 2021-22. If Griffin were to reach a buyout agreement, he’d surely be leaving a lot of money on the table. Is he willing to do that knowing his next contract will be substantially smaller?
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There likely will not be much for potential trade suitors around the NBA for Blake Griffin given how his play has been genuinely underwhelming. It has to be genuinely worthwhile to match that much salary for the other team in a potential trade and right now, that’s not the case.
A contender who could use more size in the frontcourt and wants a forward that can bring a backdown presence inside with the ability to step out and hit some three-pointers would be best for Blake Griffin. That likely wouldn’t occur without a buyout agreement being met.
Blake Griffin has appeared in 20 games for the Detroit Pistons this season and has provided averages of just 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. With the emergence of Jerami Grant, there isn’t a need for Griffin’s skill-set, especially during a rebuild.
