The Pistons made the first major move of 2018 in the NBA when they landed Blake Griffin in a blockbuster deal from the Clippers. Detroit gave up Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, a first and a second round pick for Griffin and his near-max contract in hopes of becoming a playoff team this year and for the foreseeable future.
After seemingly years of the Pistons being involved in major trade rumors one finally came through and Detroit can try and build around its new star frontcourt. Stan Van Gundy explained the motive behind aggressively pursuing Griffin as opportunities to get a superstar are few and far between, especially for a team like Detroit.
However, Griffin was one of many players the Pistons put out feelers on before they eventually honed in on the Clippers star as a realistic target. According to Sports Illustrated‘s Jake Fischer, the talks with L.A. about Griffin started two weeks ago, with the last week really seeing them heat up.
Prior to them locking in on Griffin, the Pistons had been looking at a variety of wing options, with Fischer noting five players the Pistons inquired as well as an offer from the Magic they turned down.
Detroit looked into Danny Green, Jordan Clarkson, Tyreke Evans, Rodney Hood and Courtney Lee, according to league sources. Orlando called offering a package of Evan Fournier and Elfrid Payton for a deal centered around Kennard, but that was a non-starter for the Pistons. All these preliminary conversations and prep work made one thing clear to Detroit. “It’s becoming a wing league, and not many teams are willing to move those players,” said one team source. “We were willing to give up ours.”
The Pistons clearly have high hopes for Kennard, which makes some sense considering he’s shot the ball well from deep as one of the few players on the team capable of consistently hitting threes. It would be interesting to see what packages were being discussed for the other wing players mentioned. Knowing what we know about the Lakers desires in moving Clarkson, Bradley’s expiring deal and a draft pick likely could’ve done the job and the Grizzlies are looking for a first rounder for Evans, with Bradley also filling their need for a point guard in the immediate with Conley out.
In the end, the Pistons were happy to take on the long-term money of Griffin in exchange for Harris, Bradley’s expiring deal and landed a much bigger star than any of the other players discussed (albeit at a bigger cost). The Pistons are going all-in on a playoff push for this season and beyond, and more wing help still has to be at the top of the priority list as the deadline approaches.
