Detroit Pistons: 5 biggest disappointments from 2017-18 NBA season

5. The Blake Griffin trade

The Pistons didn’t wait until the NBA Trade Deadline to pull off a blockbuster trade. On Jan. 29, they completed a huge trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Blake Griffin, along with Brice Johnson and Willie Reed, went to Detroit in exchange for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first round pick and 2019 second round pick. The first round pick is top-four protected.

At first, this trade looked like a winner. Detroit ripped off five consecutive victories after the deal was completed. They were 27-26 and feeling good, as Griffin brought a much-needed spark to the team. However, as quickly as things got going, they came crashing back to Earth.

Detroit followed that five-game winning streak up with a 3-13 stretch that basically ended their season. Griffin missed the final eight games of the regular season, giving him 58 total games played this season. Griffin hasn’t played more than 67 games in a season since 2013-14.

With Detroit, Griffin’s numbers dropped. He averaged 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in 33.2 minutes. While those numbers aren’t bad, Detroit had to be expecting more of an impact after trading for him.

A full offseason to jell could do Griffin some good. However, given his contract, the Pistons could be stuck in this purgatory for the next 3-4 seasons.