Last night the Los Angeles Clippers parted ways with Blake Griffin, trading him (along with Willie Reed and Brice Johnson) to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and a first- and second-round draft pick.
The blockbuster trade comes just seven months after the Clippers inked Blake Griffin to a five-year, $171 million contract.
Griffin was selected by the Clippers #1 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft and spent every season up until this point in Los Angeles, which included five straight All-Star selections and six consecutive playoff appearances. This morning, Griffin shared a brief statement regarding his time in Los Angeles, in which he reflected upon some of his accomplishments and thanked the Clippers fans.
The statement reads,
"Needed a night to digest and reflect on what happened... From being a #1 pick, to Lob City, to six straight playoff appearances, I am so proud to have been part of the Clippers organization. LA has been my home since I started in the league and I will forever be grateful to the city for embracing me and supporting me. To the fans, you have been awesome every step of the way. Thank you for your years of support. Now I'm ready for the next chapter, getting to work and helping the Detroit Pistons make a run in the Eastern Conference."
After years of playing alongside DeAndre Jordan in LA, Blake will now get to play alongside another talented big man in Andre Drummond, who currently leads the league in rebounds with 15.1 per game. The Pistons have a 22-26 record thus far, which puts them in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games back of the Philadelphia 76ers.