When the sudden Chris Paul trade to the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2017 happened, a lot of people thought that a rebuilding phase was in order – after all, they haven't been able to get past the first round on every postseason and it might be a good idea to blow things up.
The L.A. Clippers were quick to douse the fire however, and made moves that ensured they remain in the thick of things of the playoff picture – inking the Denver Nuggets' Danilo Gallinari and highly-coveted European star Milos Teodosic to a multi-year pact, and finally locking up their franchise player Blake Griffin to a mammoth five-year, $171-million extension.
Then in a sudden turn of events, the Clippers traded Griffin to the Detroit Pistons for a lottery-protected pick and a pair of starters, hoping to remain competitive while also keeping an eye for the future. Surprisingly, both teams narrowly missed the playoffs.
TMZ caught up with Griffin's former teammate, Austin Rivers, asking him to weigh in on the shocking deal and the Clippers guard claimed that he's still in contact with Griffin and that he's in good spirits.
The Clippers shipped Blake Griffin's ass out to Detroit, but Blake's getting the last laugh … 'cause he's 100% “happy” in the Motor City — so says Austin Rivers.
“It's a fresh start for him. He's been here for a long time,” Rivers — Blake's longtime Clippers teammate — told us at LAX.
Rivers added that Griffin can still get back to L.A. too and spend time with Kendall Jenner.
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