Los Angeles Clippers: Should Blake Griffin Be Traded?

The Los Angeles Clippers have seen success without Blake Griffin in the lineup. Now with an off the court issue surfacing, would it be better to start shopping him?

Please don’t be surprised, but there is more drama going on with the Los Angeles Clippers. From the Donald Sterling saga to last summer when the team ruled the headlines in all the major newspapers and completely took Twitter by storm with the “house-sitting” of DeAndre Jordan trying to convince him to re-sign with the Clippers, it’s been one thing or another.

Throughout the 2015-16 season, the Clippers have been a point of conversation as being one–if not the–most hated team in the league because of the way they compose themselves on the court, mainly by flopping and arguing with referees constantly.

The most recent saga that has emerged involves Blake Griffin and the team equipment manager, Matias Testi. Griffin reportedly punched Testi twice while they were at a restaurant. One of the punches that Griffin connected was powerful enough to fracture his fourth metacarpal and is expected to keep him out at least four to six weeks.

Griffin had already missed the past 14 games dealing with a partially torn tendon in his quad. He was looking to make his return sometime in the near future, but now, he is scheduled to miss significantly more time and games.

This Blake Griffin mess is another reason why it's hard to take the Clippers seriously.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) January 26, 2016

Despite the bad news off the floor, the Clippers have managed to go 12-3 without Griffin’s services, which tends to bring the question of whether or not the team needs him at all. Should the Clippers take time to contact teams about potential trades for Griffin?

To be short and sweet, no.

More from LA Clippers

Sure, the Clippers have put together a very respectable record in the absence of Griffin, but 10 teams along the 15-game span have below .500 records. Two of the three losses have come to teams with above .500 records in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.

As they continue to play with two of the “big three” in Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, it’s evident that the spacing on the floor is much more open, which gives Paul the advantage to drive and dish to open shooters like J.J. Redick. Redick is putting together a career-year with a 48.9 success rate beyond the arc and is one of the players benefitting most from the additional spacing.

But to trade Griffin would be a mistake because when healthy, he is a proven MVP candidate. Another thing people tend to forget quickly is how dominant Griffin has been when Paul wasn’t available. Last season in the Western Conference Semifinals, Paul was out for Games 1 and 2 of the series as he battled a hamstring injury. Griffin led the Clippers with a triple-double of 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists to open the series with a win. He followed that performance with 34 points, 15 rebounds and four assists while filling the point forward duties.

Not to mention, putting Griffin on the market would be tricky. Potential buyers would only have Griffin for next season guaranteed being that his contract leaves him with a player option for the 2017-18 season. There wouldn’t be as many teams chomping at the bit for Griffin with the threat of being a one-year rental while they would have to give up essential assets as a return.

More hoops habit: The NBA's 50 Greatest Duos Of All-Time

Trading Griffin wouldn’t make for any good in the future of this franchise. If there were a player they had to look into trading, it would have to be Chris Paul. Although he is still regarded as one of the best point guards in the NBA, his production taken a hit somewhat and he isn’t getting any younger. Plus, Paul could still attract teams to give young and rising players (and possibly draft picks) in return for a deal to be made.

This isn’t saying the Clippers won’t make any moves before the trade deadline, but to try and move Griffin would be a mistake that would haunt this team for years to come.

Home/LA Clippers