Clippers reportedly have 'no active interest' in trading Blake Griffin
Teams are calling the Clippers to inquire about the availability of Blake Griffin, even though he's going to miss most of the season with the broken hand he suffered while throwing a punch.
There are a couple of very good reasons for this. One, L.A. will reportedly look hard at trade options for Griffin this summer if they fail to advance deep into the postseason. And two, his value is at an all-time low after irresponsibly injuring himself during that altercation.
But the word out of Los Angeles right now (via Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times) is that the Clippers have no interest in trading their All-Star forward at this time:
Multiple teams have contacted the Clippers about acquiring Blake Griffin in the wake of his having punched a team assistant equipment manager, said a person close to the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly, but the team has no active interest in trading its five-time All-Star power forward.
The Clippers have fielded calls involving various trade proposals but remain reluctant to part with a cornerstone of their franchise and a player who, at age 26, was having possibly his best season before he was sidelined by a quadriceps injury the day after Christmas and subsequently a broken hand sustained in a scuffle with assistant equipment manager Matias Testi.
This is the expected response, of course, and the team put this out there to attempt to regain some leverage in any future trade talks that may end up taking place. The reality is that it would take an incredible offer for the Clippers to move Griffin now, and teams are not sending All-Star talent back in return for someone who may not be physically fit the rest of the season.
But general managers around the league see the blood in the water where the Clippers are concerned, and they'll continue to circle like sharks until the Feb. 18 trade deadline has officially passed.
