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NBA Trade Rumors: Blake Griffin To Thunder And Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams To Clippers

By Adrian Lawhorn
Published on: 09:26 PST, Aug 29, 2016

NBA trade rumors continue to swirl as we make our way toward fall and the opening of NBA training camps. Blake Griffin has been the subject of numerous NBA trade rumors over the summer, but there are fresh indications that he may be changing uniforms in the near future.

According to YIBADA, there is some talk that the Oklahoma City Thunder is prepared to offer guard Victor Oladipo and center Steven Adams to the Los Angeles Clippers for Blake Griffin, the Clips’ superstar power forward. This trade between the Thunder and Clippers would change the landscape and balance of power in the Western Conference race.

The reason Griffin has been a regular in the offseason rumor mill is not his play on the court, but rather his contract situation. Griffin has two years and $41.4 million remaining on the extension he signed back in 2012, but he also has an out clause that would allow him to become a free agent after the 2016-17 season. The team is concerned that he may opt out of his deal and seek greener pastures, so they are contemplating their options before the season begins as they want to avoid potentially losing him for nothing in free agency next summer.

Oklahoma City lost superstar forward Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors in July, but now that they have signed their star point guard, Russell Westbrook, to a three-year, $85 million contract extension, they are looking to build around him and retain their status as a true contender in the Western Conference, as detailed by CBS Sports.

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If this deal were to take place, the Thunder would add a star in Blake Griffin, but they would be able to compensate pretty well for the loss of Oladipo and Adams. Enes Kanter would capably take over the starting center duties for Oklahoma City, and Andre Roberson would likely be reinstalled as the starting shooting guard if Oladipo was no longer on the roster. With Blake Griffin in the fold, the Thunder would once again look like a team that could make a deep playoff run, as they did in 2015-16.

When examining this NBA trade rumor from the perspective of the Los Angeles Clippers, things begin to fall apart. Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams are very good players, but the Clippers already have DeAndre Jordan at center. Oladipo is primarily a shooting guard, and he would be competing for playing time with J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford. They are both solid performers who would continue to get minutes even if Oladipo was on the team. Lastly, dealing Griffin without getting a power forward in return would leave a gaping hole at that position for Los Angeles. In short, this trade proposal seems to make little sense for the Clippers.

Blake Griffin is widely considered one of the best players in the NBA. He has made the NBA All-Star team five times, and he has lofty career averages of 21.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He doesn’t post the rebounding numbers he used to, but he has become a better passer and overall team player in recent years.

Victor Oladipo was the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and he has lived up to expectations during his first three years in the league. Oladipo contributes in a variety of ways, posting career per-game averages of 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 steals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US_0PezTFsc&feature=player_detailpage

Steven Adams has become a reliable player on a very good team in Oklahoma City, holding down the center position and providing toughness to the Thunder front line. Adams averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest last season, and he shot an outstanding 61.3 percent from the field.

Current NBA trade rumors are pointing toward a possible trade between the Clippers and Thunder involving Blake Griffin, although the rumored offer doesn’t seem to be one the Clips would benefit from. What do you think of this potential three-player deal?

[Photo by John Raoux/AP Images]

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