Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin will return to the Staples Center for the first time on Saturday, Jan. 12 after he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers in January earlier this year. The big man was traded in a major surprise considering he had inked a fat new contract with the Clippers in the summer of 2017.

Griffin should get a warm welcome from Clippers fans. He signed a long-term contract and was ready to be a Clipper for life before the front office changed their minds and traded him during the first year of his new deal. It's certainly not Blake's fault that he wound up in Detroit.

Griffin gave LA seven-plus tremendous seasons. He helped bring the Clippers to the playoffs six times and appeared in five All-Star Games. Although he could never get the Clippers over the edge and into an NBA Finals, his time in LA was undoubtedly memorable.

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Of course, this won't be Griffin's first meeting with his former team. The Pistons and Clippers met in Detroit on Feb. 9 of last season, and the Clippers emerged victorious after a dominant fourth-quarter performance.

Griffin struggled in this matchup. He finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, but he only managed to go 7-for-19 from the floor. Additionally, he only converted on one of his seven 3-point attempts. He'll have two more shots to stick it to his former team during the 2018-19 season.

The first of which is the aforementioned Jan. 12 showdown, but Blake will get another chance to get revenge on the Clippers on Feb. 2 in Detroit.