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Just this past offseason, Blake Griffin re-signed for a max contract with the L.A. Clippers. While he was thought of as the team's franchise player for at least another four years, as he owns an opt-out clause in the final season of his agreement, the Clippers pulled off a sudden deal on Monday that sent his services to the Detroit Pistons.
It's never easy to move to another city and live there especially in the middle of a season — much more when one is leaving the glitz and glamor of Tinseltown. That is likely the case for Griffin as he has spent the last seven years in Los Angeles.
Still, he is slated to earn more money as he has a trade kicker on his contract that will bump his salary 15 percent in the event of a trade, according to Keith Smith of Ream GM.
Important to note that Blake Griffin has a 15% trade kicker, so his salary bumps up slightly for each year except for his 5th year player option. Including the option year, his deal is now 5 years, $172,034,820.00
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 30, 2018
The Pistons may need to pay Griffin more, but they still agreed to the deal as they know what the five-time All-Star can do on the court whenever he's healthy. Pairing Griffin with Andre Drummond also gives them a very strong frontcourt duo that could cause a lot of problems to their opponents.
With Reggie Jackson still running the point for them, they now have a very formidable core that could bring the franchise a lot of success in the years to come.
Griffin is having himself another strong campaign, with averages of 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 34.5 minutes per game. He has also added a reliable outside shot to his array of moves, which will come in handy with Drummond mostly operating inside the paint. If the Pistons start winning more games consistently and turn a lot of heads with their future performances, the 15 percent kicker may appear as a small amount to pay compared to the possibility of contending for a title.
