Good morning. Let’s basketball.

Winter, Ivan Shishkin

Two developments on a slow-moving NBA trade deadline rumor mill. First, the Pistons announced that they had mutually agreed with Blake Griffin that the veteran will no longer play while the team tries to trade him and, eventually perhaps, work out a buy-out. Griffin has a $30 million salary and is on the hook at that level next year too. Given how seriously Griffin’s production has fallen off, there are only a couple players or packages that could be a conceivable fit (Russell Westbrook?).

This looks destined for a late March buy-out and Griffin glomming onto a non-Clippers contender. Why? The Pistons aren’t going to be in the market this coming offseason, so clearing cap space isn’t necessary. This is a multi-year rebuild, and Griffin won’t fetch pieces that aid that project, not in his current state of production, which will now not improve since he’ll be on ice. If you just need to clear him out and don’t really need cap space, waiving him in lieu of taking on new problems — which is all you’re going to get in a trade for Griffin at this point — is the smart play.

Stranger things have happened, though. There are probably a few packages out there pairing two disappointing sub-star players that a team could move in hopes that Griffin can be rehabilitated.

The second trade market development on Monday: the Cavaliers declared they would follow this same strategy with Andre Drummond. Drummond seems less at peace with the scenario, which makes sense, because unlike Griffin Drummond has been quite productive for Cleveland this season. Basically, Drummond doesn’t have a long-term future in Cleveland and the Cavaliers are straight-up giving Jarrett Allen his job. Instead of managing that transition in the locker room or rotation, the Cavaliers have decided it’s best to just make the call, put Drummond on ice and try to move him. At the above link, Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst even report that the Cavs are determining whether to keep Drummond around the team or exile him. Harsh!

This is a lot messier: Drummond is far more likely to be traded than Griffin due to his expiring contract and current production. Also, the Cavaliers (unlike the Pistons) are aiming for the playoffs. That quest has gone off the rails of late (Larry Nance, you are badly missed) but it’s a factor. Plus, Drummond is just 27 years old and is being replaced in real-time, by front office mandate, by a 22-year-old. Griffin is a 31-year-old being replaced by, essentially, Saddiq Bey, who is 21. It’s just different.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that the Raptors have discussed trading for Drummond in recent days, given the immense disappointment they’ve had with Aron Baynes. ($) (Just start Boucher-Siakam-Anunoby-FVV-Lowry, Nick Nurse!) Woj’s reporting disagrees that anything is close on Drummond. There will be a market. He’ll fetch something for the Cavaliers. Allen will be a better fit than Drummond long-term, and everyone will get over this.

That doesn’t make it any less messy right now.

As the standings continue to shake out over the next two weeks leading into the All-Star break, we’ll see what other names crop up in the rumor mill. But at least we now have two.

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Scores

Bulls 120, Pacers 112 — Wendell Carter Jr. back! Malcolm Brogdon got Indiana to overtime on a funky shot concluding a funky play. But the Pacers’ big lineup couldn’t contain Thaddeus Young on the offensive glass in overtime, and Chicago steals one.

This was my favorite play of the game, though. Watch Zach LaVine. This is at the end of a win!

Will Gottlieb @wontgottlieb

😡😡😡

February 16th 2021

1 Retweet36 Likes

Rockets 119, Wizards 131 — Houston was 8-9 with Christian Wood and now falls to 3-7 without him. Brutal. Bradley Beal has something to say.

Hawks 112, Knicks 123 — Julius Randle. My goodness.

Sixers 123, Jazz 134 — What a game. Joel Embiid sat, and the defense for both teams pretty much took the night off, but Ben Simmons didn’t A career-high 42 on a series of downhill drives and post moves. Just beautiful to watch. (Twelve assists, too. And he shot 12/13 from the line.) Jordan Clarkson answered with ~40~ of his own, including eight threes. High-level shotmaking. Utah has won 19 of 20. Utah has won 19 of 20. The Jazz meet the Clippers on Wednesday.

Cavaliers 98, Warriors 129

Heat 118, Clippers 125 — The starless Clippers are rampaging. I hope Kawhi Leonard, at minimum, is back for the Jazz game on Wednesday!

Nets 136, Kings 125

League Pass Cupdate

Knicks pick up another game in the Cup, while the Hawks continue to slide down the standings.

And Now, A Word From Draymond Green

SportsCenter @SportsCenter

“Everyone wants to say, ‘that young man can’t figure it out.’ But no one wants to say the organization can’t figure it out.” Draymond Green sounds off on a double standard he sees in the NBA.

February 16th 2021

6,317 Retweets26,171 Likes

This is a helluva rant from Draymond Green, and the sign-off is grade-A screenwriting. I totally get what he’s saying, and it goes back to the treatment of NBA players as an asset class instead of humans. When players share opinions about their negative situations, they are castigated. Yet teams openly put disappointing players on the market freely, without critique or care for what it does to that player’s reputation or wellbeing. And usually it’s the team’s fault it’s not working out. (James Harden is the rare exception where it was largely on the player given the circumstances; this reality led to a pile-on that apparently rubbed at least one non-Harden sympathist [Green] the wrong way.)

Anyways, agree or not, I’m 100% here for Draymond speaking on the issues of the day. Just put a mic in front of Draymond Green anytime he has something to share: topical thoughts, Xs and Os, politics, whatever. I need Open Mic Draymond whenever he’s offering.

Schedule

Six-game slate with a TNT doubleheader. All times Eastern. The only schedule LP Cup game (Spurs-Pistons) has been postponed due to the COVID-19 protocols. Spurs have a positive test.

Nuggets at Celtics, 7
Pelicans at Grizzlies, 8, TNT
Raptors at Bucks, 8
Lakers at Timberwolves, 8
Blazers at Thunder, 8
Nets at Suns, 10:30, TNT

Links

Anthony Davis did not rupture his Achilles, thank goodness, but will rest at least through the All-Star break.

The travel rules for players around All-Star break are pretty strict. For example, no leaving the country or staying in hotels for non-All-Stars. Players are going to be wound real tight come May or so, huh?

Michael Jordan gives $10 million to open two clinics in his hometown of Wilmington, to serve uninsured and underinsured residents.

Clinton Yates on what the Wizards owed John Wall.

The problems with Kristaps Porzingis on defense.

Shout out to Saddiq Bey winning Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Rookies don’t do that too often.

How Joel Embiid draws so many fouls.

Kevin O’Connor’s All-Star ballot.

Be excellent to each other.