Blake Griffin is the talk of the NBA right now. On Monday, the Clippers dealt their longtime superstar to the Detroit Pistons. Los Angeles threw Brice Johnson and Willie Read into the deal, and in return, they received a slew of pieces: Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick.
The deal is noteworthy because it involves such a big-name player but also because it sure seemed like Griffin would be in Los Angeles for a long time. This past offseason, the 28-year-old forward signed a five-year, $173 million contract. Griffin is an extraordinary talent, but he hasn't made an All-Star team since 2015, so paying him that much is...risky.
Everyone around the sports world is reacting to the deal on Tuesday. Some, for whatever reason, are taking advantage of the moment to roast him.
But how does the best basketball player in the world feel about it? LeBron James was asked for his reaction. He called the deal "unfortunate," but he also said he understands that the NBA is a business.
"He spent his last nine years there," King James said. "He signed a multi-year deal there. It's unfortunate, but it's the business. It's both sides; it works [for] both sides, though."
LeBron also addressed a double standard with how fans react to trades and free-agency decisions.
"When a player gets traded, they were doing what's best for the franchise," James said. "But when a player leaves, he's not loyal, he's a snake. He's not committed. That's the narrative of how it goes, so I definitely know that firsthand."
Sometimes, as James said, despite how a team may feel about a guy, it has to make business decisions. We saw this play out last offseason with James' own team, the Cavaliers, who received Isaiah Thomas after the Celtics dealt him. It seemed like a heartless decision on Boston's part—mostly because it was, after all Thomas had done for the franchise—but it sure looks like the right move in hindsight.
This is the Bellichickian approach. Cruel but effective.
