NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic To Target Blake Griffin In NBA Draft Trade?

The Orlando Magic have already had a huge offseason by hiring Frank Vogel as their new head coach after Scott Skiles chose to step down. Vogel will be a huge addition for the Magic, and he is the type of coach that can take the Magic to the next level. Now, the Magic have to focus on bringing in more talent for him to use.

Looking ahead at the upcoming draft, there are a lot of players that can be acquired for the right price around the NBA. Some players are not openly available, but if a team comes with the right deal, a team will pull the trigger.

Philip Rossman-Reich of FanSided opined that the Magic should target a Blake Griffin trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night. He suggested that the Magic could deal Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, Ersan Iyasova, and the No. 11 overall pick in the draft for Griffin. It may seem like a crazy idea, but diving deeper into the deal, it might be more interesting than people think.

Griffin was rumored to be available for trade at the trade deadline last season. He has been injured quite a bit during his career with the Clippers and has been unable to take his team to the NBA Finals. Chris Paul isn’t getting any younger, and a shakeup of the roster could be intriguing to Doc Rivers.

Orlando would be giving up a lot of talent to get Griffin in this deal, but adding a legitimate superstar would make their rebuilding process speed up in a big way. They would still have Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton to build around with Griffin and would also keep Mario Hezonja.

Los Angeles would get much more athletic with this trade should they choose to pull the trigger. Pairing Paul with Oladipo in the back-court would make them a tough defensive duo and Gordon would fit perfectly into the power forward role. Ilaysova would be excellent depth off the bench and there are a lot of good players that will be available when the No. 11 pick rolls around.

Is it likely that these two teams will pull off a trade during the draft? Not at all, but it is intriguing to think about.

Last season with the Clippers, Griffin ended up averaging 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He also showed a lot of versatility by averaging 4.9 assists per game and still has plenty of room to grow. Griffin shot 49.9 percent from the floor overall and extended his range consistently into the mid-range.

Oladipo averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, while Ilyasova chipped in 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Gordon is the most intriguing piece, with an amazing amount of potential to work his way into, and he averaged 9.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season.

Rivers would have to seriously consider this deal if the Magic called and offered the trade. There is a lot of talent heading back to the Clippers, even though they would be shipping Griffin out of town.

All of that being said, there is no reason to believe that the Clippers will end up trading Griffin. It certainly shouldn’t shock anyone if Los Angeles decided to shake things up, and the Magic will be aggressive in their pursuit of a big name this offseason. Griffin could very well be that name, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the two teams have a conversation about a potential deal, whether it ends up happening or not.

Do you think the Orlando Magic should pursue a trade for Los Angeles Clippers’ star big man Blake Griffin? Would he take them to the postseason next season if the Magic did trade for him? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/Jim Mone]