NBA Trade Rumors: Blake Griffin For Paul Millsap In Blockbuster Swap

The Los Angeles Clippers roared off into the 2016-2017 NBA season with a hot start. This is largely due to the much-improved play of Blake Griffin. The Clipper big man has been stellar on the offensive end throughout the first half of the season.

Unfortunately, what was such a promising season is quickly turning sour when Blake Griffin was announced to be having some knee problems last December 19. This will require him to have surgery and will most likely miss some more games. Without him, the Clippers figured into a six-game losing streak and slipped into fourth place behind the surging Rockets.

According to Yahoo Sports, Blake Griffin will return at some point this January. It is worth noting that Blake Griffin has had injury troubles for most of his career. As most fans know, last year’s championship hopes for the Clippers was dashed when both Griffin and Chris Paul went down in the first round against Portland.

The Los Angeles Clippers were built to win now. Even their head coach has acknowledged that this may be the last season for this crew to win a championship or else they might be blown up.

With Blake Griffin’s injury worries once again resurfacing, trade talks are starting to come back. And as fate would have it, there is one name that is being shipped around the NBA that would be perfect for a blockbuster NBA trade with Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap.

According to Fox Sports, this trade scenario may very well come true. While a lot of fans will cry that this is not a fair trade, a closer look at Paul Millsap’s stat says that he can be just as effective as Blake Griffin. While Blake Griffin’s defense has improved a lot, Paul Millsap is actually much better when it comes to interior presence.

Paul Millsap is one of the NBA’s premiere defenders and has shown so much versatility now that he has slid back to his much more natural fourth spot. Blake Griffin, on the other hand, for all his improvements, may never be the defender Millsap is.

DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap will present a nightmare on the interior. Both are big time defenders and may just prove to be the perfect antidote to the Warriors’ stellar small ball play. Losing Blake Griffin and gaining Paul Millsap may just be the perfect scenario for the L.A. Clippers.

But Griffin does have his upsides when it comes to the offensive side of the court. Blake Griffin has shown flashes of dominance this season as well as an ever-improving pick and roll game.

Griffin’s jumper is becoming much more reliable and he is starting to score much more in the post. While Millsap is no slouch in offense, Blake Griffin probably has more upsides in this department.

But at the end of the day, as the same article suggests, it may all come down to winning and timing. The Clippers have been vocal about rebuilding their team if success keeps eluding them and the Hawks are open to trading Millsap because of free agency worries. If Blake Griffin keeps dashing the hopes of a Clipper championship that seems within their grasps each season, then it may be time for a big change.

If the timing is right and the Clippers keep on under-performing this season, then fans might just see Blake Griffin for Paul Millsap happen before the trade deadline or during the offseason. Either way, it will be hard to see the Clippers not lose Griffin or Paul after another lackluster season.

[Featured Image by Gus Ruelas/AP Images]