The Los Angeles Clippers have some interest in a sign-and-trade involving Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Durant, who will be a free agent this summer, is among the most talked-about players in the league this season due to his impending decision. There are rumors about his interest in the Lakers and in the Wizards, as well as the consensus thought that he will likely remain in Oklahoma City.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are a new candidate in the Durant sweepstakes. The team will is unable to sign Durant outright due to its monumentally large payroll. However, a potential sign-and-trade could make it possible.
Blake Griffin has been the star for the Clippers for years now and the team has been mostly built around him. However, due to his recent altercation with a team employee and the chances of this Clippers team winning a championship slowly dwindling, there has been some speculation about the team trading away the power forward.
Personally, I believe that that would be a mistake in most situations. However, the report from Wojnarowski paints an intriguing possibility for both the Thunder and the Clippers:
There’s another California team determined to make a bid for Durant, league sources tell The Vertical: The Los Angeles Clippers. If the opportunity comes to move Blake Griffin and replace him with Durant, the Clippers won’t hesitate, sources said.
Teams are calling on Griffin trades now, but Clippers president and coach Doc Rivers seems determined to play the year out with Griffin and see how far the team advances in the playoffs. Eventually, the Clippers will determine how intrigued Durant might be in becoming a Big Three with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
The Thunder would resist a sign-and-trade deal until the very end – until they were sure Durant was leaving them – but Griffin, an Oklahoma native, could be fascinating part of that scenario.
Of course, the Thunder would be wise to make sure that Durant will certainly leave the team before starting any sort of negotiations. If Durant is intent on leaving, however, this would be a great fall-back plan for OKC. Griffin, an Oklahoma native, would allow them to continue their run as a top Western Conference team with only minimal side effects from losing one of the best players in the league.
The Clippers clearly benefit, as well, as they would add an elite player that potentially fits in better with their current non-Griffin core than Griffin does.
This is all speculation, of course, and I have doubts that Durant will leave Oklahoma City this summer. But if it does happen, this is a new possibility that could have both the Thunder and the Clippers excited.
