The Los Angeles Clippers are starting over! After trading Chris Paul to Houston over the summer, they strike again by trading Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, BobanMarjanovic, a 2018 first round pick and a 2019 second round pick. 

This trade comes as a bit of a surprise considering Blake Griffin signed a five-year deal to return to the Clippers. The Clippers have faced a ton of injuries and it’s hard to replace a player like Chris Paul. The trade doesn’t change the Clippers issues up front as DeAnde Jordan is still very limited offensively. Tobias Harris will share top shooting responsibilities with Lou Williams (who could be traded) and Danilo Gallinari (returning from an injury). Tobias Harris grown as a player. He’s a much better long-range shooter and he follows up his own shots to keep plays alive. With Jordan covering the paint, Harris will be setting up a lot on the perimeter. Once Gallinari is back in rhythm and can play full minutes, Harris will become more of a slasherfrom the top of the key. Harris is a strong attacker and now playing with a less-skilled big man than Andre Drummond, his value will only go up. The Clippers are likely not done making moves and Harris could end up being the top scoring option once the trade deadline passes. 

Avery Bradley hasn’t been as impactful this season in Detroit as he was in Boston the previous year. Bradley would attack the rim and draw contact at the rim. He’d go to the top of the paint and try to tip loose balls out to himself. While he’s still a strong perimeter defender, he’s been mainly scoring dependent and relegated at the three-point line. Bradley has the moves to get to the rim, but the Pistons used him simply as a bailout option. Bradley’s value will be contingent upon personnel post-deadline. As much as it makes sense for Lou Williams to be the Sixth Man, he’s carried the team in scoring in a lot of games and has earned his spot in the Clippers starting lineup. It’s possible that Williams could be wearing in two weeks. The Clippers should let him attack the rim and work from the mid-range. If the Clippers really wanted to, they could go with the three-guard offense until Gallinari is up to speed. Expect Bradley to continue to help with steals, score in double figures consistently and grab more rebounds just inside the arc. 

Boban Marjanovic should see more playing time. He’s currently not even averaging nine minutes per game. He has shown signs of life when in the game and he’s a volume rebounder. He can barrel his way in the paint and will score off of second chance opportunities. Marjanovic could also see more minutes if DeAndre Jordan is traded. Marjanovicwill be the Clippers back up Center and he should be playing in the teens to start. When Jordan gets in foul trouble, expect to see a lot of Marjanovic. From a fantasy perspective, once he gets the minutes, we should consider picking him up. If Jordan gets traded over the next couple of weeks and the Clippers don’t get a skilled big-man back in return, Marjanovic will hit the 20-minute mark consistently. 

With Reggie Jackson still hurt, Griffin walks into Detroit as the top scoring option outside of the paint. Andre Drummond is very self-sufficient in the paint and can create in the post. Griffin will compliment him well and he’ll get to test his shooting range early, especially when Drummond is doubled inside. Expect to see more perimetershooting from Griffin and he’ll have the top of the paint to grab boards. His role won’t change much and owners can expect a high level of scoring. Even when Jackson returns, less pressure will give Griffin more opportunities to dominate in the post. Willie Reed will likely become Andre Drummond’s main back up and Brice Johnson will have to earn his minutes. He was outside the Clippers rotation. 

For the Pistons, Luke Kennard, Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock benefit from this trade. Kennard should be starting and Johnson and Bullock have more wiggle-room in the rotation. All three players can shoot well from beyond the arc and their ability will allow Griffin to set up at the elbow to create. Kennard, Johnson and Bullock will see more minutes down the stretch. Kennard will attack and he’s a very solid free-throw shooter and we should expect to see him scoring in double-figures consistently moving forward.  Johnson is a stronger defender than Bullock and should be seeing close to 30 minutes per game. Kennard should be in 30-minute territory as well. Once Jackson returns, he will eat into Johnson and Bullock’s shots and Kennard will be used as the bailout option when he drives. 

The pieces traded in this deal don’t see a significant change in their value except for Marjanovic, who will slowly earn more minutes as the backup Center and if he can prove to be a volume scorer and rebounder, he could become someone to look to pick up. Kennard is also the big winner of this trade from a fantasy perspective because he’ll be filling Avery Bradley’s spot for the most part and he’ll prove just how good of a knock down three-point shooter is. If Avery Bradley sets up more at the elbow than at the arc every possession, his rebounding and scoring numbers will improve. The Pistons win this trade as they landed the big prize of the deal. The Clippers aren’t done dealing yet!