NBA players, no matter how attached they are to a franchise, are always, at least to some extent, subject to being traded when they least expect it. We were reminded of that again in February of last year, when Luka Doncic was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers without any real heads-up.
Blake Griffin found himself in a very similar position years earlier, when he learned through social media that his days with the Los Angeles Clippers were numbered.
Griffin was selected with the first overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Clippers, and after missing his entire rookie season due to a broken left kneecap, it was all business from there. He stormed into the league, won Rookie of the Year, and earned five straight All-Star appearances. Alongside Chris Paul , Blake formed one of the most electric one-two punches the NBA had seen in years, turning a franchise long viewed as second-tier into a regular playoff team.
But in the NBA, anything but a title is considered a failure. After a few painful postseason exits and unmet expectations, the Clippers decided to move on from their high-flying star. That alone wouldn't have been the issue. What caught Griffin off guard was that it all happened without a heads-up from anyone.
"Yeah, it was. I had gotten wind of it because I knew, because one of my best friends is very close with the people in the Pistons organization. I tried to figure out if it was true or not. My agent was calling, all that…" Griffin opened up on the Yahoo Sports podcast.
Even though Griffin had heard whispers that something might be coming, he waited for official confirmation from someone inside the Clippers organization. That call never came. Instead, the moment arrived the way it does for so many players in the modern NBA, through "Shams Bomb" on one of the social media outlets.
"I saw the notification, and I just tossed the phone on the grass and kept playing the game. I'll never forget. My kids were so young they had no clue…When I woke up, that was the last thing I would have guessed had happened, but it's fine," the retired forward pointed out.
Just like that, his life in the City of Angels came to an end. In 2018, Griffin was traded for Tobias Harris , Avery Bradley , Boban Marjanović , plus first- and second-round picks. Undoubtedly, he left a lasting mark on the Clippers' franchise, but it was time to leave it all behind and move on.
Griffin was forced to adapt quickly to life in Motown, and for a brief period, he did just that. He reinvented his game, earned his sixth and final All-Star appearance as a member of the Detroit Pistons , made the All-NBA Third Team, and proved he was more than just a legendary dunker. But as injuries began piling up, the athleticism that once defined him slowly faded. Blake bounced around the league for a few more seasons before officially calling it a career.
Trades like this are a reminder that the NBA is a business-first league. Because no matter how influential a player is, there is no immunity to being traded.
Related: Blake Griffin took inspiration from two of the hardest-working people he knew
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
