Blake Griffin said it wasn't until he joined the Pistons that he saw "what a franchise looks like."
Griffin was traded from the Clippers to the Pistons in a huge deal in January after spending more than eight seasons in Los Angeles. He hasn't tried to over-analyze why he was traded but said he didn't want to stay at a place where he wasn't wanted.
“I haven’t put much thought into it, to be honest. I’ve been so focused on making this transition and [adjusting] to this change that I haven’t put that much thought into it. I never want to be in a place where I’m not wanted. Coming here made me realize what a franchise looks like,” Griffin told The Undefeated.
The jab could stem from a number of things: He said he found out about his trade on social media and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer later said Griffin didn't have "chemistry" with the team.
Griffin also said he was led to believe he would be with the Clippers long term.
“You always hear guys say that, ‘Basketball is a business,’ and all that,” Griffin said. “It’s so much different when you have had a relationship with a certain amount of people for so long and been at a place for so long. Someone always promises you, 'This is what we are doing' and six months later …
“It shows people’s true colors. Other than that, at the end of the day, you have to realize it’s a business.”
Griffin said he would have had a different plan for free agency last summer if he knew he could have been traded but said ultimately he's happy about where he landed.
“If I wasn’t happy with where I was at or excited to be here, it would take a little bit longer,” Griffin said. “But as soon as I got here to Detroit, the franchise, the way they go about taking care of the players, the way they do everything, is first-class. So, that makes the transition much easier. [Coach] Stan [Van Gundy] and the whole staff has been awesome. I’m not looking back."
