While there aren't a lot of positive takeaways when suffering a double-overtime loss to a Cleveland Cavaliers team that finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2019-20, one of the lone bright spots for the Detroit Pistons was Blake Griffin going off from deep.
The six-time All-Star showed how he has transformed his game over the past few seasons, going 8-of-16 from beyond the arc and leading the Pistons with 28 points in the loss.
Due to a bevy of injuries and the lowly Pistons never being on national television, it's easy to forget that Griffin made Third-Team All-NBA just two seasons ago. His talent makes him a valuable trade piece despite a hefty contract that's paying Griffin nearly $37 million this season and has a player option worth just under $39 million next season.
A lengthy injury history has robbed Griffin of some of the athleticism that made him the centerpiece of the Lob City Clippers, but he has proven that by shifting into a stretch-4 role in Detroit, he can still make an impact.
Below are three teams, all in the Western Conference, that could be calling Detroit at the deadline to either help them return to dominant ways or take one more step toward contending for a title.
3. Warriors could move for Blake Griffin
Prior to the 2020 NBA Draft, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons suggested a trade involving Blake Griffin and the Warriors on Zach Lowe’s ESPN podcast. That hypothetical trade involved the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, and Golden State is unlikely to give up on Wiseman after the flashes he has already shown this season.
While Klay Thompson's untimely Achilles injury will likely lead to them missing the playoffs for the second straight season, Griffin could provide the Warriors with a reliable veteran scorer who could thrive with Stephen Curry.
As laid out on this site last week, the Warriors would have to include Wiggins to make the contracts work. Golden State could also include draft capital and perhaps a young role player or two.
A core of Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Kelly Oubre Jr., and James Wiseman lifts their potential, and once Thompson returns next season, the Warriors could return to playoff contention.
2. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble thanks to the dominance of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but they lacked a third scorer to take down the Los Angeles Lakers.
Not only could the Nuggets use the talents of Blake Griffin on the perimeter, but having a veteran point guard like Derrick Rose could help them guide the ship toward the end of games.
Greg Patuto of NBA Analysis Network laid out a potential trade recently involving Detroit's best players recently, sending Blake Griffin and Rose to Detroit for Gary Harris, Will Barton, Facundo Campazzo, and a 2023 second-round pick.
While that trade doesn't technically work on ESPN's trade machine because Campazzo can't be traded right now, swapping him out for young forward Zeke Nnaji would allow the trade to work and benefit for both sides.
Not only does it let Detroit move on for hefty contracts and gain more assets to help with the rebuild, but it gives the Nuggets two more pieces that can be crucial in crunch time, giving them the horses to compete with the elite Los Angeles teams.
1. San Antonio Spurs
Basketball fans have been writing off San Antonio for years now, and after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996 last season, it may finally be time for a rebuild.
DeMar DeRozan has been part of the San Antonio core over the last few seasons, averaging upwards of 21 points per game the last two seasons, with the veteran on pace to do it again this season.
As good as DeRozan has been, it may be time for San Antonio to embrace their youth movement, with pieces like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV all showing encouraging flashes over the last few years.
Moving on from DeRozan could be a tough pill for Spurs fans to swallow, but Griffin works better from a positional standpoint with sacrificing a lot of scoring for San Antonio.
A player like Blake Griffin could work better with those young players, giving them a chance to thrive while Griffin and Aldridge space the floor.
A DeRozan-Griffin swap would likely include Detroit throwing in a future draft pick, and the Spurs throwing in Trey Lyles and Keita Bates-Diop to make the salaries work.
This trade reunites DeRozan with a former coach in Dwane Casey, giving the Pistons a solid veteran guard that rookie pieces in Killian Hayes and Saddiq Bey could learn from.
Meanwhile, San Antonio could move on from Griffin if he disappoints, but if he continues to excel, the Spurs could flirt with a spot in the play-in tournament while retooling with their young guys.
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