Blake Griffin says being traded to Pistons made him 'realize what a franchise looks like'

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By Conor Porter

Published Mar 20, 2018

Griffin has been a member of the Pistons since being traded to them in January by the Clippers

Blake Griffin has been with the Detroit Pistons now for a couple of months and he seems to be enjoying his time more with his current team than his time with his previous team, the Los Angeles Clippers.

Griffin was traded by the Clippers to the Pistons along with Willie Reed and Brice Johnson in exchange for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanović, a future protected first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick.

It was only last summer that Los Angeles offered Griffin a five year, $173 million deal. Yet, earlier this year, the team was happy to trade him away. The man himself, however, has said he hasn't looked back since the trade took place.

The power forward said to The Undefeated: “If I wasn’t happy with where I was at or excited to be here, it would take a little bit longer. But as soon as I got here to Detroit, the franchise, the way they go about taking care of the players, the way they do everything, is first-class.

"So, that makes the transition much easier. [Coach] Stan [Van Gundy] and the whole staff has been awesome. I’m not looking back."

Reflecting further on what's happened since the trade took place in January, Griffin said that coming to Detroit has made him realize what a franchise looks like, which some might presume to be a shot at the way in which the Clippers are run.

He said: “I haven’t put much thought into it, to be honest. I’ve been so focused on making this transition and [adjusting] to this change that I haven’t put that much thought into it. I never want to be in a place where I’m not wanted. Coming here made me realize what a franchise looks like.”

As for being traded just months after signing a new deal with the Clippers, Griffin said: “You always hear guys say that, ‘Basketball is a business,’ and all that. It’s so much different when you have had a relationship with a certain amount of people for so long and been at a place for so long. Someone always promises you this is what we are doing and six months later.

“It shows people’s true colors. Other than that, at the end of the day, you have to realize it’s a business.”

The Pistons have gone 9-13 since acquiring Griffin and find themselves just outside of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.