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NBA Trade Rumors: Blake Griffin To Bulls, Kenneth Faried To Clippers, Jimmy Butler To Nuggets In Blockbuster Three-Team Deal

By Adrian Lawhorn
Published on: 09:59 PST, Sep 16, 2016

NBA trade rumors continue to follow teams who are trying to improve their rosters ahead of training camp. The Bulls, Clippers, and Nuggets have all been active in exploring the offseason trade market, and now, there is talk that those three teams may be working together on a significant trade involving several star players.

According to the website NBA Trade Rumors, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver are contemplating a three-team swap. The Bulls would receive Blake Griffin, Danilo Gallinari, and Branden Dawson. The Clippers would bring in Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, and Nikola Mirotic, along with Denver’s first-round draft pick in 2017. The Nuggets would come out of this transaction with Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson in tow.

The Chicago Bulls would come out of this trade with two new starters — Blake Griffin at power forward and Danilo Gallinari at small forward. Griffin and Gallinari would be direct replacements for the outgoing Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson in this trade scenario. This would appear to be a solid deal for the Bulls, as they would be getting equal value (and very possibly more) in return for Butler and Gibson.

The Los Angeles Clippers wouldn’t normally consider trading a player of Blake Griffin’s caliber, but they are concerned that he will exercise his early termination option and leave as a free agent after the 2016-17 season. The Clippers would be getting two power forwards with differing skill sets to replace Griffin — Faried is a high-energy player who is offensively challenged, while Mirotic is more of a shooter/scorer. When you add in a steady performer in Wilson Chandler along with a first-round draft choice, this deal begins to look interesting from Los Angeles’ perspective, particularity if the team believes that Griffin may bolt after the upcoming NBA season.

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The Denver Nuggets are attempting to find a way into the NBA Playoffs after watching from the sideline this past year. If this rumored trade goes through, Denver would acquire a star (Jimmy Butler) without giving up a player of similar stature. The Nuggets would have to send out three quality players for Butler and Taj Gibson, but the influx of talent would seem to be worth the investment for Denver.

This NBA trade rumor is intriguing because all the teams involved seem to come out of the deal as good or better than they were before. One could argue that the Clippers’ end of the trade offers the least upside of the three packages being dealt, but considering that Blake Griffin could end up being a one-year rental for any team who obtains him this summer, Los Angeles could potentially be coming out of this trade with a good haul for the “short-term asset” that Griffin may represent.

Conversely, a recent report by News OK indicates that Griffin is planning to re-sign with the Clippers after next season. If that report is accurate, it could change the entire complexion of this possible eight-player deal — Los Angeles would likely choose to roll with Blake Griffin and shun this or any other trade offer for the NBA All-Star power forward.

Current NBA trade rumors are circulating that Blake Griffin, Jimmy Butler, and Kenneth Faried headline an eight-player deal that is being pondered by their respective clubs. This trade scenario appears to be reasonable for everyone involved, but the status of Blake Griffin’s contract and his control over who he plays for after the 2016-17 campaign could cause this compelling deal to go the way of many NBA trade discussions that are seriously considered, but never agreed upon.

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[Featured Image by Mark J. Terrill/AP Images]

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