Blake Griffin was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons on Monday evening in a stunning trade.
Griffin was traded to Detroit for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and a first- and second-round draft pick just seven months after signing a five-year, $171 million contract in Los Angeles.
The former No. 1 overall pick took the night to digest the news and issued a statement on Tuesday morning about his nine seasons with the Clippers.
Griffin’s statement was released on social media and paid tribute to the city that he has called home and the Clippers fans.
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 success of the Clippers organization. LA has been my home since I started in the league and I will be forever 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 Pistons make a run in the Eastern Conference.
It will be a tough adjustment for Griffin at first, but it will be interesting to see how he performs in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night, but the five-time All-Star is not expected to make his Pistons debut in the game. Instead, a more realistic target for Griffin will be Thursday night against the Detroit Pistons.
This season, the 28-year-old forward is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and a career-high 5.4 assists per game.
