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NBA Trade Rumors: 10 Teams That Should Trade For Blake Griffin

By Gerald Bourguet

December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) moves the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) moves the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 14, 2015, Shanghai, China; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky (44) in action as the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Charlotte Hornets at Mercedes-Benz Arena. Hornets beat the Clippers by a score of 113-71. Mandatory Credit: Danny La-USA Today Sports /

10. Charlotte Hornets

If the Charlotte Hornets decide they wanted to get in on this action (you know, action that’s probably never going to happen), there are several variations of this trade that would be proposed. In this rendition, the Clippers would be getting a stretch-4, a quality defender on the wing who could start at small forward immediately, and a stretch-5 with a lot of room for growth.

The Hornets are obviously giving a lot up in this deal, especially when it comes to one of the best defenders in the league in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who earned a four-year, $52 million extension in August. But with Al Jefferson and Nicolas Batum both hitting free agency this summer, a blockbuster move of this caliber might help convince those guys to commit to Charlotte long-term.

A core including Kemba Walker, Batum and Griffin would be a formidable one to build around moving forward, and even without Batum, Griffin is a top-10 player worth investing in if the Clippers really are looking to move him.

As for the Clippers, there are definitely more attractive offers that would come their way for Griffin, so the Hornets would have to include future draft compensation of some sort. But this isn’t a terrible ransom as far as actual players go, especially now that Kidd-Gilchrist is back on the floor. He may still be a jump shot away from being a stud, but he’d easily be the best 3 on the roster.

Marvin Williams hasn’t lived up to his billing as a former No. 2 overall pick in 2005, but he’s still averaging 9.9 points per game on 36.5 percent three-point shooting, and with the Clippers being so successful adopting a Detroit Pistons-esque offense — surrounding DeAndre Jordan with four shooters on the perimeter — he’d be another necessary component to this trade.

From there, including a promising yet NBA-ready rookie like Frank Kaminsky makes sense for a team lacking frontcourt depth. He’d be necessary for the contracts to balance, and he’s come on strong lately, averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds on 55.6 percent shooting in a four-game stretch last week.

The Hornets could substitute Jeremy Lamb for Kaminsky here, but Lamb only has one year on his contract so the Clippers would probably prefer a player locked in on a cheap rookie deal. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute would be included just to help balance out the number of players being moved, or the Hornets could ask for rookie Branden Dawson.

However, the only way this deal would EVER happen is if the Clippers became hell-bent on moving Griffin. Even with future draft compensation thrown in, Doc Rivers could do better than this.

Next: No. 9

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