Blake Griffin (Photo : Harry How | Getty Images Sport)
There were numerous blockbuster trades that were negotiated at the trade deadline and some of them may be revisited this summer.
Perhaps the biggest name that ran the course of the rumor mill was Blake Griffin of the LA Clippers.
It was prudent for the Clippers head coach and Basketball operations man Doc Rivers to hold on to Blake Griffin and not trade him off as a knee-jerk reaction to his off-court incident involving one of their staff. However, there is a lot at stake in the Clippers playoff run.
Rivers has already mentioned that line-ups can become "stale," as he mentioned in Grantland before the site went down.
"We're right on the borderline." Rivers said. "I have no problem saying that. I'm a believer that teams can get stale. After a while, you don't win. It just doesn't work. We're right at the edge. Oklahoma City is on the edge. Memphis, too. We just have to accept it."
The only difference is that at that time, Blake Griffin was the player least likely to be traded. He was the youngest and most popular among the Clippers "Big Three."
This season exposed Blake Griffin as it also unraveled the Clippers hidden strengths without him. Griffin is set to return before after serving his suspension and will likely rejoin the team in the playoffs. How far they go can determine the future of the Clippers as we know it.
The Denver Nuggets were rumored to have been candidates for Blake Griffin at the deadline. According to NuggLove, a Denver Nuggets team site, the Clippers offered Blake but the price was too steep.
"Earlier this season the Clippers offered Blake Griffin for Faried, Gallo, Jokic and Barton," claimed Sheamus McNamara of NuggLove. "Because Griffin's contract is expiring, the Nuggets were nervous to give up so many assets without assurance that he would stay."
However, McNamara paints a different scenario. "After the Clippers lose in the playoffs, fingers will be pointed, and either CP3 (unlikely), DeAndre Jordan (potentially) or Blake (most likely) will be shipped away in hopes that blowing up their system will refurbish a deeper playoff run. Especially after the Clip's success during Blake's injury absence and his off the court issues, prying him away wouldn't be an overwhelming task. Moving Gallo, Faried, and Gary Harris is a more than reasonable offer for the Kia spokesman."
The Clippers are predicted to have a second round exit at the hands of the dominating Golden State Warriors, who have already swept them this season, 4-0.
If Blake's presence does not make a difference in this match-up, the Clippers might be more open to trade negotiations as it seems like the Warriors will be the standard for the rest of the league.
Gallinari and Faried would be better suited for the Clippers if they wish to apply the offensive strategy they used while Blake was injured. Harris will also be an extra scorer from the bench. For Denver, they will finally have a star for the first time since they traded Carmelo Anthony.
