Anthony Davis is currently sidelined for the Los Angeles Lakers after picking an Achilles injury in recent days. The big man is one of the most important players on the team and his absence is definitely sensitive for the team. They have been doing well in recent games but if Davis’ return takes longer than expected, they could take a look at the market and see what they can get to replace the player.
Montrezl Harrell and the rest of the squad must step up to fill AD’s absence but if they want to go to the next level, adding another piece would make sense for them. One of the candidates to land in Southern California this season is someone who knows the city of Los Angeles and has a big story with it. In recent hours, Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin has started to look like a very good option for the purple and gold.
He’s a veteran who spent the first 9 years of his career in L.A. with the Los Angeles Clippers. Going to the Lakers wouldn’t be the best option for Griffin, as Christian Rivas of Silver Screen & Roll explained. He has two options to return to SoCal and both sound very interesting.
If Griffin wants to live in Los Angeles, where he spent the first nine years of his career and recently bought another home, and compete for a championship, he has two options: The team that held an emotional mock jersey retirement ceremony for him only to trade him six months later, or the Lakers. Call me crazy, but I think the Lakers would probably have a slight edge in that scenario.
If Griffin valued playing time above all else, though, the Lakers probably wouldn’t be his first option. Even if the Lakers tried to free up playing time by trading Markieff Morris, who’s been unhappy with the playing time he’s gotten this season, their situation wouldn’t be much different than it is now, or at least it wouldn’t be when Davis returned. Meanwhile, teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers could reasonably offer Griffin a starting job.
As stated by Rivas, he would have more options than the two Angelenos teams. He’s at a stage in his career where winning a title is very important for the player. He has very good chances to land in a contender and although the job will be ‘easier’ on the Lakers, Blake could get to another franchise if he wants to face a bigger challenge.
The Lakers can land a series of players before the trade deadline and this man surely meets the requirements to return to the West Coast.
