Mon, Jan 29, 2018 at 7:58pm

PISTONS GET GRIFFIN IN SIX-PLAYER MEGA-SWAP

The Detroit Pistons acquired power forward / center Blake Griffin, power forward / center Brice Johnson, and power forward / center Willie Reed from the Los Angeles Clippers for combo guard Avery Bradley, combo forward Tobias Harris, center Boban Marjanovic, a top-4 protected 1st-round draft pick in 2018, and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2019.

What does it give the Detroit Pistons
This is a bold (if a bit curious) gambit by the Pistons. Adding Griffin gives Detroit a bona fide 'Big Two' star duo of players in the paint, a duo it can build around for the next several years (with Griffin joining fellow superstar Andre Drummond). Both of Drummond and Griffin have high-priced, long-term contracts so this isn't a short-term commitment. Expect Griffin to help the Pistons push into this season's playoff picture. Moreover, moving Bradley and Harris rids Detroit of two players whom aren't as stellar as Griffin and whom both came with issues (Bradley with his off-court trouble, Harris with his history of inconsistency). This will also help sell tickets at the Pistons' new home, Little Caesars Arena.

What does it give the Los Angeles Clippers
It seems pretty clear this move is all about starting over for the Clippers. Last season's nucleus made the Clips a title contender, and included Griffin, point guard Chris Paul, center Jordan, and shooting guard J.J. Redick. Now only Jordan remains, and it looks likely he too will be moved by the deadline (with star sixth man Lou Williams probably on the trading block as well). Bradley and Jordan are above-average starters on any NBA team, but neither is a superstar and both have shorter-term deals than Griffin (with Bradley set for free agency this summer, and Harris' contract expiring after next season). The first-round draft pick is top-4 protected, but is nonetheless a nice building block for a team that seems to now be rebuilding. It's tough for any organization to part with a player as good as Griffin, but his injury history had to be frustrating for team brass.

Fantasy impact
The players who should see the biggest jumps in fantasy value here (at least in the short term) are Griffin and Luke Kennard for the Pistons, and Danilo Gallinari (when healthy) for the Clippers. For the longer term it might be wise to stash Clippers centers Montrezl Harrell and (newcomer) Boban Marjanovic, since it now looks likely DeAndre Jordan will be traded in the next week or so. With Griffin gone, Gallinari becomes the Clippers' top true scorer. Meanwhile on the Pistons, the same can now be said of Griffin, who might be expected to start recording triple-doubles a la Boogie Cousins. Kennard is the most intriguing sleeper of the bunch, since he might now step into a bigger scoring role with Harris and Bradley gone. Also keep an eye on Stanley Johnson, whom now seems to have a bigger opportunity for playing time with Detroit.