NBA Rumors: Blake Griffin Breaks Silence On Trade Rumors, Says ‘I’m Happy Here’
Detroit Pistons power forward Blake Griffin is currently having the best season of his NBA career, averaging 26.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 48.0 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, his explosive performance on both ends of the floor is not enough to make the Pistons a legitimate title contender in the Eastern Conference.
As of now, the Pistons have lost six of their last 10 games and are currently sitting in the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 21-28 record. As they continue to struggle in the 2018-19 NBA season, rumors have started to circulate that Griffin is growing frustrated with the Pistons, creating the speculation that he might consider finding his way out of Detroit before the February NBA trade deadline.
After their recent game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, Blake Griffin decided to break his silence on the rumors that he wanted to demand a trade from the Pistons. In an interview with Rob Beard of the Detroit News, the 29-year-old power forward admitted that he’s frustrated with their current performance, but he denied that he’s planning to request a trade.
“Myself or my agent or my people haven’t said anything. I heard that (rumor) buzzing around a little bit, but you have to consider the source on some of those things,” Griffin said.
“I am happy here and, of course, I’m frustrated. You should be frustrated — if you’re not frustrated, what are you doing playing basketball? Like [Pistons owner Tom Gores], I still believe in this team and we can turn this around and rattle off a couple wins.”
Pistons fans vote: A year later, would you redo Blake Griffin trade? https://t.co/O5krpi5N4Z
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) January 29, 2019
During a halftime interview, Gores also addressed the rumors surrounding their star player, saying that Griffin hasn’t shown any indication that he wants to be traded. Despite publicly expressing his frustration with the team, Gores strongly believes that Griffin remains committed to bringing the Pistons back to title contention.
“Blake and I know each other pretty well. I know he’s committed to Detroit, to me and to us,” Gores said.
Based on the recent statements of Blake Griffin and Tom Gores, Pistons’ fans could expect the All-Star forward to finish the 2018-19 NBA season in Detroit. However, if the Pistons are serious about earning a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they could consider improving their roster before the February NBA trade deadline. One of the areas that the Pistons need to improve is their offense. Per ESPN, the Pistons currently rank 25th in NBA’s offensive efficiency, scoring 103.0 points per 100 possessions.
