Pistons Will Sit Blake Griffin Until They Know What To Do With Him
The Pistons have decided to sit Blake Griffin until they come to a resolution on his playing future.
That is the word out of Detroit today in the ongoing Griffin saga. The Pistons have been shipping their older stars out of town this season in an effort to rebuild with younger players. Derek Rose was sent to the Knicks, and everyone expected Blake to be next, but his huge contract has become a sticking point for any possible trade partners.
The Pistons General Manager, Troy Weaver, talked to ESPN about what was going on with Griffin.
It has been determined that we will begin working to facilitate a resolution regarding his future with the team that maximizes the interests of both parties. We respect all the effort Blake has put forth in Detroit and his career and will work to achieve a positive outcome for all involved
That's GM speak for, You'll never see Blake play in a Pistons uniform again.
This isn't just one sided though according to ESPN. Blake reportedly told them that he is grateful to the Pistons for understanding what he wants to accomplish in his career, and for working with him on the best path forward. I don't know that anyone knows what that path will look like considering the price tag that comes with Griffin.
The Pistons have been trying to trade him like crazy lately, but he comes with a $36 Million price tag this season, and $39 Million next season. This is the part where everyone that yelled what a bad deal it was for the Pistons to get Blake in the first place because of the contract, can yell I TOLD YOU SO!!!
Griffin had a resurgence in Detroit, putting up career numbers before getting injured again. He has been extremely unproductive this season, which only hurts his trade value. With a huge price tag, and small performance, the Pistons might have to resort do buying him out. That would be a huge loss for Detroit.
Hopefully the Pistons can package something together to move Griffin to a decent team, and take his monstrous salary off the books. The last possible trade involved the Miami Heat, but things seem to have stalled there.