Lowe’s Latest: Clippers, Griffin, Lakers, Pistons

On the surface, the Clippers‘ return for Blake Griffin doesn’t seem overwhelming, but it’s probably the best they could have done, given how massive his contract is, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.

While Lowe believes Griffin and Andre Drummond can coexist as a productive frontcourt tandem, he notes that the new-look Pistons appear pretty similar to the old Clippers, with Reggie Jackson in place of Chris Paul. It’s hard to envision a path to anything better than the “super-mediocrity” for the Pistons, according to Lowe, who defines “super-mediocrity” as topping out around 50 wins and not being able to legitimately contend for a title.

Lowe’s piece on the Griffin trade also includes several notes and rumors worth rounding up, so let’s check those out…

• There wasn’t much league-wide demand for Griffin, given his injury history and his contract, sources tell Lowe. Matching Griffin’s salary without sending out another elite player or a toxic contract also would’ve been difficult for many teams around the NBA.
• The Lakers are one team that seemingly would have been a good fit for Griffin, since they want to add star players and could have used Brook Lopez‘s $22.6MM+ expiring contract for matching purposes. However, it doesn’t appear they seriously considered making a play for Griffin, according to Lowe, who acknowledges that the Lakers’ lack of a 2018 first-round pick might’ve been an issue if the two teams had explored a deal.
• Lowe isn’t convinced that the Griffin deal makes the Clippers any more likely to move DeAndre Jordan or Lou Williams. The club will still listen to offers and explore deals for both players, but there’s no more urgency to trade them than there was 48 hours ago, per Lowe.
• In examining the Pistons‘ supporting cast and remaining assets, Lowe notes that the team could have had Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell instead of Stanley Johnson and Luke Kennard. While it’s easy to identify “what-ifs” of that nature for many teams, sources tell Lowe that Detroit debated between Booker and Johnson almost right up until making that 2015 pick.