NBA: Biggest Winners & Losers of the Blake Griffin to Detroit Deal
So despite all the trade rumors surrounding DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams, it was Blake Griffin that was traded first from the LA Clippers' locker room.
In a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers traded Griffin along with Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjonavic and a couple of draft picks (a heavily protected 2018 first-round pick and an unprotected pick in the second round in 2021). The protections on the Pistons' 2018 pick include 1-4 in 2018, 2019 and 2020 before finally becoming unprotected in 2021.
This is a big deal. Griffin might not have made it to the previous two All-Star games and All-NBA teams due to injuries but when healthy, he is easily one of the top 15 players in the league.
So before it get's too late, let's break down the deal and assesses it's winners and losers:
LOSER: Andre Drummond and Danilo Gallinari
So these are the two biggest players, that are not involved in the trade, to be losers. Both, Andre Drummond and Danilo Gallinari are bound to see a huge dip in their minutes per game. And a lot of that is got to do with the players their respective teams acquired through the trade - Griffin and Harris.
Not that Drummond isn't key to the Pistons' roster but his effectiveness reduces a lot the moment you mention the fact that he can't shoot. He is primarily on the court to play the rebounder role and herald the team's defense - highest ranked player in Defensive Efficiency and top-ranked player in Defensive Box Plus/Minus - but offensively there is not a lot he can't do by himself. In the modern NBA, players that are effective on only one end of the floor will eventually be taken to class. In addition, Blake Griffin is a far better small-ball center, maybe not purely from a defensive standpoint but overall.
Drummond says "no longer a foe" but Griffin is definitely going to eat into a lot of Drummond's center minutes.
Now, getting to Galo. Tobias Harris is going to most probably get top priority at the position. He is basically a younger, less-injury prone version of Gallinari. He might not be as good of a shooter but that can't be taught and Harris has shown constant improvement in his shooting percentages. Moreover, he fits the bill for the Clippers - a talented player approaching his prime who could be a big part of the team's going young approach to a rebuild.