Detroit Pistons: Blake Griffin for Russell Westbrook is a bad trade that must happen

How Russell Westbrook would fit with the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons just finished a season where they had a point guard problem. Between Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose and even Tim Frazier, their point guard corps missed gobs of time and they were often left with precious few (if any) ball handlers.

Of course, the coming offseason will be an opportunity to fix that problem through both free agency and the draft, but unless you consider Fred VanVleet a big-ticket free agent, there aren’t any big splashes out there. Historically speaking, the Detroit Pistons have preferred making pushes for the playoffs rather than choosing a rebuilding route, and Westbrook is certainly a player who can raise their floor to the level of a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.

Mind you, he’s not a player who can elevate your ceiling and give you much of a chance of pushing any deeper than a tough first or second-round exit, but let’s face it, losing in the second round in five games would make the Pistons rightfully ecstatic. Russell Westbrook is that kind of player, assuming everything goes as well as possible.

You can’t tank with Westbrook (unless he gets hurt), but it’s tough to reasonably tank with Griffin as well unless he’s out of the lineup like he was from late December onwards this past season.

If the Pistons want a star who can potentially carry a big load, and if the Rockets want a player who could be a great second fiddle alongside James Harden, and if both teams want to make a bad decision that could have any number of bizarre outcomes, a straight-up swap of Blake Griffin for Russell Westbrook might get the job done.