Blake Griffin: Kawhi Leonard to Clippers 'Good for Basketball, Good for LA'
Former Los Angeles Clippers and current Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin believes Kawhi Leonard's reported signing with the Clippers is a good thing for the NBA, but he also noted that playing in L.A. has its negatives.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Griffin said Kawhi's decision, which ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported, will make things more even across the league and in Los Angeles in particular: "I think it's good for basketball, good for L.A. I think it'll bring a little bit more balance to the Los Angeles basketball scene, so it's good."
Griffin was seemingly referring to the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers would have had a full-on superteam had Leonard joined LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Instead, Leonard will play alongside Paul George, who the Clippers reportedly acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder for five first-round draft picks, two potential pick swaps, guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Danilo Gallinari, per Wojnarowski.
Leonard, who is a Riverside, California, native, will have the chance to play close to home. However, Griffin said when asked if he prefers to play in L.A.: "No, to be honest. I think playing in another city now I see the advantages and disadvantages to playing in different places. ... Everything has a positive and a negative. It just depends on what you value."
The 30-year-old Griffin spent parts of his first eight NBA seasons with the Clippers after they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft out of Oklahoma.
Griffin was named an All-Star in each of his first five seasons, and the Clippers were a perennial playoff team during his tenure, but he and Chris Paul couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs together.
As a result, the Clippers traded Griffin to the Pistons during the 2017-18 season.
Griffin enjoyed perhaps the most productive campaign of his career in 2018-19 with averages of 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists, while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. Griffin was named an All-Star for the sixth time, and he led the Pistons to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to an NBA championship, and he has a strong chance to win a title with his third different team during the 2019-20 season.
The Clippers were always in the championship mix but never able to break through during Griffin's tenure, but that may change with Kawhi at the controls.
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