Blake Griffin (Photo : Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Clippers could be ready to move Blake Griffin, but not until the trade deadline in February.
The Clippers have been involved in offseason trade talks, particularly potential deals that could see Blake Griffin joining another team. While Doc Rivers has vehemently denied rumors about trading Griffin, Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders believes the Clips would deal Griffin until the deadline, in hopes of trying to increase the All-Star forward's value.
"The jury is out on whether Griffin will still be the same after his injuries last season, but if he's close to what he was, expect the Clippers to try and increase his value. They could wait until the trade deadline, when a team that is underachieving feels they need to make a change," Maroney wrote.
Griffin is coming off a quad injury that may have caused the Clippers' disappointing exit in the playoffs. When healthy, Griffin is a force on the offensive end and his presence in the paint contributes well in the Clippers' interior defense.
Griffin's injuries and setbacks, one of which includes a punching incident with the Clippers' staff equipment, may have already decreased his marketability. But contending teams could be open to acquiring his service regardless if he could immediately get back on his game.
The Boston Celtics have been linked as one of the potential landing spots for Griffin if the Clippers decide to trade him away. With the Celtics having plenty of tradable assets, it is not impossible Griffin could don a green jersey this season.
But any potential trade would likely include key players like Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley, as well as future picks, which could be very risky for the Celtics if they could not convince Griffin to sign an extension after a trade.
Another intriguing destination for Griffin is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who could really some help after losing Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors in free agency.
Griffin, an Oklahoma native and played college basketball at the Oklahoma University, could be enticed coming home and teaming up with Russell Westbrook to form a new dynamic duo in OKC. But similar to the Celtics, trading for Griffin would be too dicey due to the forward's contract, not to mention that any deal would certainly include Westbrook, the Thunder's remaining star.
Anything can still happen once the 2016-2017 season begins. With months away before the peak of the trade deadline transactions, the Clippers still have plenty of time to evaluate the trade market and Griffin's value for teams in need of a boost.
