Since the Detroit Pistons traded All-Star center Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline, rumors have started to swirl around Blake Griffin ‘s future with the team. With Drummond gone, most people believe the Pistons would trade Griffin this summer and undergo a full-scale rebuild. Though he’s recovering from an injury, several NBA teams are still expected to express a strong interest once he becomes officially available on the trade market in the offseason, including the Philadelphia 76ers .
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report , the Sixers could acquire Griffin by engaging in a three-team deal with the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers. In the proposed trade deal, Philadelphia would get Griffin, Detroit would receive Myles Turner and Jeremy Lamb, and Indiana would get Al Horford and the Pistons’ 2020 first-round pick. If the trade becomes a reality, Swartz believed it would help all three teams fill holes in their rosters.
For the Sixers, Swartz thought adding Griffin to their core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Josh Richardson would “raise their ceiling” and give them a better chance of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship title next season.
“A healthy Griffin would raise the ceiling of this Sixers team, and the 31-year-old has already turned in All-Star seasons playing next to big men like DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond. Putting Griffin in a starting unit with Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons would not only give Philly the biggest lineup in the NBA, but the strongest as well.”
At 31, Griffin still has lots of gas left in his tank and could maintain playing at a high level. When he’s in perfect shape, he would undeniably be an upgrade over Horford as Philly’s starting power forward, giving them a very reliable scoring option, rebounder, playmaker, and floor-spacer. Additionally, Griffin’s contract is shorter than Horford’s, which would enable the team to have salary cap flexibility in the summer of 2022.
For the Pacers, the potential deal would allow them to give Domantas Sabonis a new frontcourt partner in Horford, who — unlike Turner — wouldn’t mind accepting a supporting role. As compensation for absorbing Horford’s contract, the Pacers would also be receiving a future first-round pick that they could use to secure another young and promising talent.
By trading Griffin and their own first-round selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, Detroit would be acquiring a young and talented big man in Turner. At 24, he could still be the centerpiece of the next title-contending team that the Pistons would try to build.
