Since the Detroit Pistons announced that power forward Blake Griffin would be shut down until they could trade the former star, the Oklahoma City Thunder have entered rumors as a potential landing spot for him.
OKC has cap room and tradeable contracts. Winning is secondary to a front office that is focused on developing players and increasing the value of their draft picks. These facts have led to some betting sites listing the Thunder among the most likely teams to get Griffin.
There are three positives to a trade for Griffin:
- OKC would get assets in return for taking on his contract.
- It would be easier for the Thunder to tank if they have to give up Al Horford to create cap space to land Griffin.
- Griffin would be returning home.
That’s a short list of positives to counter what are, in my opinion, a whole lot of cons.
Let’s address each individually: