NBA Rumors Abound: Philadelphia 76ers Pursuing LA Clipper Blake Griffin

Despite the assurances that the Philadelphia 76ers would not be seeking trades, rumors are leaking of Philadelphia 76ers pursuing Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin

The Philadelphia 76ers are sitting on a pair of aces in the likes of centers Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. But right now, the team is working on building a royal flush, the most powerful hand in the game. If they can assemble the right cards in the right suit, they win the biggest game of NBA poker ever played. But to do so, they need to weigh their cards carefully. Nerlens Noel is a center who brings strong athleticism, a rim-protecting “not in my house” mentality that shunts opposing offenses. Coupled with this, his cat-like reflexes seem to be perfectly suited for point guard Ish Smith, who is becoming quite adept at shoveling the alley oop pass to a waiting Noel for two points.

On the other hand, the 76ers also have Jahlil Okafor playing center, and at a tender age of 19 is already becoming quite formidable in his own right. He is a powerhouse in the post game, with new scoring moves he is introducing at almost a weekly pace. He is a solid offensive performer who can rebound. But he does not have the same level of blocking skills as his older teammate.  And with both players working hard at playing nice together, and so far not having much success, it does make sense for the Sixers to investigate an opportunity to bring a top-notch power forward into the mix.  And so the rumor has begun. Rumors ask are the Philadelphia 76ers pursuing LA Clipper Blake Griffin.

Does it make sense for the Clippers?  Hard to say.  Blake Griffin is their top scorer, but they have a solid big man with DeAndre Jordan who is a stout defender.  The Clippers have some of the best perimeter shooting on one roster in point guard Chris Paul and shooting guard J.J. Redick. The Clippers are also sitting on former Philadelphia 76er Luc Richard Mbuh A Moute, who could pick up some minutes at the four.

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But why would the Clippers take the call? Well, they would if they were the team who initiated the contact with both the Nuggets and the Sixers:

You see, when an NBA team wants to move a player, they know who to go to – Philadelphia 76er general manager Sam Hinkie.  If the deal is solid, Hinkie has no hesitation to make it happen. But of the assets available, which would the Sixers consider?

A team will need a solid package to entice a player of Blake Griffin’s ilk. Fortunately, the Sixers have plenty of value available if they truly desire the services of the all-star power forward. We’ve talked about the Sixers arriving to the point where patience may no longer be necessary. If they feel the current core of players is capable now, then now is the time to act.

ALSO ON SIXER SENSE:  Philadelphia Should Consider Trail Blazer C.J. McCollum

Doc Rivers is the coach and general manager of the LA Clippers, but that role has laid him open to criticism of a number of questionable moves. These moves have been well documented – and I turned to Fred Katz of the Bleacher Report for this table of the most notorious moves.

Month, Year                       Transaction
July, 2013                               Traded Eric Bledsoe for Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick, instead of signing Redick in separate S&T and keeping Bledsoe.
June, 2014                              Drafted C.J. Wilcox instead of a defensive, larger wing.
July, 2014                               Signed Spencer Hawes to full mid-level exception, hard-capping team for rest of the year with use of bi-annual exception on Jordan Farmar.
August, 2014                          Traded Jared Dudley and a first-round pick to create cap room to sign Chris Douglas-Roberts, Ekpe Udoh & Hedo Turkoglu.
January, 2015                         Waived Jordan Farmar, effectively wasting the bi-annual exception.
January, 2015                         Traded what few assets and room the Clippers had left for his son, Austin Rivers.
?February 2016?                    ?Traded Blake Griffin for…. ?

As is the case of any rumors, they are simply whispers in the silence of the imminent trade deadline. But as we know, where there’s smoke, there’s Hinkie. We’ll keep you posted.