Pistons Reports: Blake Griffin gets bought out by team

The Detroit Pistons finally righted the last wrong of the Stan Van Gundy administration, coming to a buyout agreement with Blake Griffin.

Griffin’s representatives and the team mutually decided it was time to part ways on February 15th, paving the way for both parties to find a way to move him to a contender of his choosing. Thanks to the final two years and $75 million remaining on his contract, a trade was simply not a possibility.

Blake Griffin bought out by the Pistons, expected to receive interest from contenders

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that a buyout agreement had been reached on Friday.

Pursuing contenders will be hoping that Griffin has more left in the tank than it has seemed so far this season. After having almost the entirety of last season scuttled by a knee injury, he never seemed himself this season.

Because Griffin’s potential to simply be washed out was so significant, it made sense for the current trajectory of the rebuilding Pistons for him to step aside and out of the lineup. Still, you rarely see such prescient decision-making at the NBA level. His absence opened the door for youngsters like Saddiq Bey and Sekou Doumbouya to step into bigger roles, and Jerami Grant was able to shift to his more comfortable spot at the four.

We’re going to have to wait and see how much Griffin and the Pistons agreed to for a buyout number, but the very fact that it happened is a mark in the favor of Griffin, general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey. Conversations like the one that led to Griffin stepping out the door can’t be easy for any party, but it looks as though a common good for all entities involved was achieved.

Next up, we’ll wait and see where his next destination will be.