What’s next for Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons

Biggest winners for the Detroit Pistons

This situation allows a number of Pistons to slide into their best spots. Jerami Grant can best play the four, and Saddiq Bey can immediately become the starting three. Sekou Doumbouya can spread his wings at the four off the bench, stepping into his own best role with more regularity.

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey will benefit as well. He’s had to shoehorn Griffin into the lineup this season, trying to counter his inability to defend on a roster ill-equipped to make up for his shortcomings. This will give Casey plenty of opportunities to try out rotations and combinations that perhaps he wasn’t able to attempt with regularity until now.

It’s going to allow him to better empower his younger players as they look to build the next era of Detroit Pistons basketball.

This is a win for everybody involved, really. Working out an arrangement with Griffin is a coup for Troy Weaver in his first season as general manager, and the chance to win an NBA championship this season has to be thrilling for Griffin himself.

And as Blake Griffin is one of the most self-aware stars this league has seen in some time, he’s no fool. He knows opponents target him defensively as games go on, and being his team’s biggest weakness on that end in the clutch is nobody’s idea of fun.

It’s a good thing, and it had to happen.