Blake Griffin Trade Rumors: Clippers uninterested in moving star

There have been rumors that the Clippers might trade Blake Griffin, but that doesn’t appear to be the case

The Los Angeles Clippers are without Blake Griffin for at least another month after an incident in late-January when their star power forward punched a member of the equipment staff and broke his hand. This injury came right as he was set to return from a quad injury that had kept him sidelined for a month. In the wake of the incident, there have been rumors circulating that the Clippers might be willing to part with Griffin ahead of the Feb. 18 NBA Trade Deadline.

Apparently those rumors are all smoke and no fire, though. Clippers general manager and head coach Doc Rivers spoke on the matter on Friday and had an emphatic answer when discussing the potential of a Blake Griffin trade:

Ben Bolch, the Clippers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, had more to say on the matter as he expanded on Rivers’ comments. Bolch reports that the Clippers have listened to offers from around the league for Blake Griffin, but are still “reluctant to part with a cornerstone of their franchise” as well as a player whose best years in the NBA could still be ahead of him at just 26 years old.

While the situation regarding Griffin and how he suffered the hand injury is less than ideal, Rivers’ and the Clippers’ stance on the situation is ultimately the right call. There’s almost surely not going to be a trade out there that comes to light prior to Feb. 18 that provides an adequate return for a player that boasts the youth and talent of Blake Griffin. While he may be injured and while his situation is unfortunate, trading him would wind up looking like a mistake in the long run.

H/T to ProBasketballTalk