The Los Angeles Clippers' decision to trade Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons shocked the NBA world on Monday and has been a major talking point this week.

The power forward committed his future to the franchise in the summer as he re-signed on a five-year, $172 million contract and declared that he wanted to be a "Clipper for life".

The organisation put on an extravagant presentation for the five-time All-Star during their free agency meeting which included a mock ceremony of his jersey being retired.

Griffin got the deal he wanted, which includes a player option in the fifth year, and was happy to remain with the team despite the departure of Chris Paul.

But just months later, the Clippers have backtracked and made the surprising decision to offload their star player.

The 28-year-old has put the team on the map and made them relevant and competitive during his nine years in L.A.

But his career with the Clippers has also been marred by injuries and he's only managed to complete one 82-game season, in 2010-11.

Earlier in the campaign, Griffin was ruled out with an MCL sprain which kept him sidelined for a month.

According to TNT's David Aldridge, this was the final straw for owner Steve Ballmer who saw this latest injury as a 'red flag'.

Per Aldridge, the Clippers management was convinced that they wouldn't be contenders this season or next and were prepared to listen when the Pistons came with a proposal for their star.

But a source told Aldridge that the mood within the team following the trade on Monday afternoon was “terrible".

They're just half a game behind the Denver Nuggets in the eighth spot in the Western Conference but their hopes of making the playoffs are now virtually impossible.

Their dealings may not be finished either as they continue to seek deals to trade both DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams before the February 8 deadline.

The Clips are keen to secure first-round picks and young players in return as they look to rebuild their roster for the future.

Both Jordan and Williams can become free agents in the summer and the California-based outfit would rather ship them and get something in return while their value is high instead of possibly losing them for nothing in the summer.

Williams is enjoying a career year and leads the team in scoring at 23.5 points per game. DJ is also enjoying another productive campaign, averaging 11.8 points and 14.9 rebounds.

The Clippers were always expected to be one of the most active teams before the deadline and having pulled off the biggest deal so far, they may still have more tricks up their sleeve.