© Cary Edmondson | 2019 Mar 24
With their stars healthy again and draft capital aplenty, the Warriors have been the subject of perhaps more trade rumors this summer than any other team. Many involve some sort of package of the No. 2 overall pick in his year’s draft and the recently acquired Andrew Wiggins, which is exactly what Bill Simmons and ESPN’s Zach Lowe discussed on the latest episode of ‘The Lowe Post.
H/t to Drew Shiller of NBC Sports for the transcription:
Simmons: “This is my favorite dumb trade I’ve made up in at least two years: Andrew Wiggins and the No. 2 (pick) — with (Jordan) Poole to make the contracts work — to (the) Detroit (Pistons) for Blake Griffin and (the) No. 7 (overall pick).
“If you’re Golden State — his contract is up a year sooner than (Andrew) Wiggins, it’s just more expensive — that’s kind of like the home run trade. Plus you’re only moving down five spots, so you’re still getting somebody you really like at No. 7.
“Rolling the dice on, ‘Can you get two healthy years out of Blake?’ And if you do, what do you look like defensively and from a ball-movement standpoint if you throw him into the mix?”
Lowe: “Enough people have asked me what I’ve heard about Blake Griffin and how he’s looking, that I think Detroit is gonna have a market for him. I don’t think it’s gonna be strong, but I think there is still interest in what he can do to help you win.”
Simmons: “The question is — did he hurt his knee to the point that he can’t come back, or is he actually gonna potentially gonna come back and be 90 percent of what he was two years ago? If that’s the case … I think I would do that if I was the Warriors.”
Griffin, 31, missed nearly all of last season recovering from multiple knee surgeries, a worrying sign for a player that still relies a ton on athleticism, especially when it comes to scoring in the low post. Griffin was extremely productive the season prior, however, tallying 24.5 points (career high) 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting over 36 percent from 3-point territory. Griffin’s rebirth notched him his first All-Star appearance in four seasons.
It remains to be seen if the Warriors would really think there is enough value to move their biggest assets for an aging scorer with questionable defensive abilities, but Griffin would certainly give the Warriors another offensive weapon to pair with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. It’s also unclear how the Warriors would then fill their hole at the wing position with Wiggins gone.