Why the Detroit Pistons would do it
The Detroit Pistons are 13-23 in the Eastern Conference with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin already.
The original deal of Drummond to Atlanta on it’s own is nothing but a salary dump as it is. Acquiring Chandler Parsons does not help the team win, it just begins the rebuild a year early as Drummond has a team option for 2020-21.
Losing Drummond already and gaining nothing tangible back to help the roster this season and the team is going to sink even farther.
The trading of Blake as well is just an extension of that salary dump and helps take $64 million off the Pistons’ books next year alone, and $102 million over the next two seasons including the final year of Griffin’s deal.
If the Pistons want another protected first round pick (like they are getting from Atlanta) that would be fine, but Phoenix’s would have to be something like top-25 protected and then it converts to two future second round picks – or something like that.
That said, I would personally argue that Phoenix’s accepting of the rest of Griffin’s contract alone is ideal for Detroit as they will be moving on from so much money so simply.