The blockbuster Blake Griffin trade was immediately thought to be the Phase 1 of a demolition of this L.A. Clippers team, with DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams reportedly being the next players to go in order to make a run at the hottest free agent available this upcoming offseason, LeBron James.
According to head coach Doc Rivers, those rumors couldn't be further from the truth.
Article Continues Below“We make this trade and then everyone thinks we're just trading everybody away. That's not true,” Rivers said when addressing the Griffin trade for the first time publicly, according to ESPN's Jovan Buha.
“But that's what's out there. Sometimes you can't control the narrative. You just can control your job, and that's what I have to do.”
Rivers is no longer the man in charge of front office decisions, deferring the task to Lawrence Frank after vacating his post as the president of basketball operations. Frank, remained noncommittal to saying if any further moves will take place, pointing at the volatile nature of the trade deadline and how deals come and go depending on what is offered and in what circumstance.
“You never know,” Frank said. “If you were to ask me the question a week ago whether we were going to trade Blake Griffin, the answer would have probably been different than why we're standing here today. You never know how it's going to unfold with the trade deadline looming. There will be a lot of activity, so we'll see how it plays out.”