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OKC Thunder: 3 Trades to Acquire Blake Griffin

By Austin Denean

December 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Christmas at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Christmas at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Lance Stephenson (1) moves to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (5) and forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Lance Stephenson (1) moves to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (5) and forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Trade Option 3

In this scenario, the Thunder would receive Griffin and do the Clippers a favor in taking Lance Stephenson’s contract off the books.

Stephenson earned his payday after having a breakout 2013-14 season for the Pacers where he was a nightly triple-double threat and All-Star snub for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Since being traded to L.A., Stephenson has struggled to get consistent minutes on the court, and has failed to live up to his contract.

A change in scenery could do a lot of good for a player like Stephenson, who has all the talent to be a successful player, but needs the right players around him to excel. The winning culture in Oklahoma City could rein in some of his bone-headed tendencies, and he wouldn’t have as much pressure to produce.

In addition to losing Stephenson’s contract, the Clippers would get two players whose contracts expire at the conclusion of this season and a player to build their future around.

Dion Waiters has struggled to be an efficient scorer since being the fourth pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA Draft. He has the tools to be a productive player in the NBA, but needs the right cast and coaching around him to do so. If the experiment doesn’t work out, the Clippers can let him go at the end of the year and have more money to spend in free agency.

Novak has registered more DNP’s than points for the Thunder this year, but he is still capable of being a lethal three-point shooter. He would fit into the Clippers’ new small-ball lineups and would help spread the floor and create driving lanes. At worst, he is an expiring contract to either make another deal or create cap space at the end of the year.

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Some draft picks would also be necessary in this trade because the return for the Clippers isn’t as high as the other trade possibilities. The Clippers would need to receive further compensation for their future in order to make this trade work, but the main focus of this deal would be to clear up cap space to make a move in free agency or to trade for another star player.

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