Blake Griffin may be in a world of trouble right now, but such may not be enough for the Los Angeles Clippers to seriously consider dealing him away, at least not in the middle of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season that is.
NBA trade talks involving the slam-dunking forward have swirled the past week, singling out at least two teams (Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers) who have reportedly inquired about dealing for Griffin.
Griffin is under fire for hitting the team's assistant equipment manager last Jan. 23, something that resulted in him being forced to take some more time off.
The Clippers forward ended up requiring surgery for his hand due to the off-court incident, keeping him out of action for another four to six weeks.
The fracas was unfortunate since he could have been a big boost to the sputtering campaign of the Clippers. But just the same, head coach Doc Rivers has made it clear that they are in no way entering a trade with any team.
"Blake's ours and he's going to stay ours," Rivers said via the Los Angeles Times.
This despite the fact that Griffin could enter the free agent market next season and such could make or break any plans the Clippers have. However, right now, it doesn't seem that Griffin himself is unhappy enough to play elsewhere.
The season is not totally lost for the Clippers but if they are to make any move in the team standings, it needs to start soon. With a strong core that also includes Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers have so far been far from the pre-tournament billing with a stellar cast.
The Clippers have already dealt away an ineffective Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson could follow soon if there are takers for the temperamental forward.
If any trade is happening for the Clippers, it will not involve their main stars.
