The Detroit Pistons Send Blake Griffin To The Philadelphia 76ers

Pistons Receive: Al Horford ($27.5M 2020-21 Salary), Zhaire Smith ($3.2M), OKC 2020 1st Round Pick (Pick #21), ATL 2020 2nd Round Pick (Pick #34), PHI 2022 1st Round Pick (Top 10 Protected)

76ers Receive: Blake Griffin ($36.5M)

Blake Griffin is a name that a lot of folks have seemed to forget about, but he is still in the league and can still make a big impact for a contending team. After undergoing season-ending knee surgery to treat knee soreness he has had in his left knee for months, Griffin enters the 2020-21 season with a chip on his shoulder to prove all the doubters wrong. 

Now, Griffin is not the high flying dunk artist he once was, but he was an NBA All-Star not too long ago. During the 2018-19 season, Griffin was an All-Star for the Pistons, averaging close to 25 points and eight rebounds per game.

Al Horford has not been what Philly thought he would be for them paired with Embiid and Simmons and if they are able to add Blake Griffin to the mix, they would be a tough team to defend. Not to mention, the Sixers recently hired Doc Rivers to be their head coach, Griffin’s former head coach for 4.5 seasons when he was with the LA Clippers. 

Both Horford and Zhaire Smith have not been the players the 76ers had hoped they would be and as a result, should have no problem moving on from either of them. Horford is now 34 years old with three years and $54.5M in guaranteed money on his contract, which would tie up Detroit’s salary space, but return some valuable draft assets.

The Pistons need to start all over and build their team through the draft, which is why absorbing Horford’s contract would be worth it for them in the long-term. 

With not many young and talented players on their roster, being able to acquire two first-round picks for an aging veteran in Griffin would give the Pistons the ability to draft players that fit their system they want to have moving forward. Getting Atlanta’s 2020 second-round pick from the 76ers also acts as a late first round pick for the Pistons as well since they would be able to draft a prospect who fell out of the first round, but has first round talents. 

Pairing Griffin up with Simmons, Embiid, and Tobias Harris would make Philly one of the tallest teams in the league and while they may not have a ton of shooting firepower, could attack teams in the paint and be one of the best rebounding teams in the league.

With most teams adapting to the “small-ball” philosophy and playing versatile players at the big men positions, the 76ers would be able to exploit other teams defensively and score in boatloads in the paint.