After finding out that the Clippers’ trade with the Detroit Pistons was complete, Blake Griffin sent a farewell message in the team’s group text.



Hey fellas, I’m out of here. Loved playing with you guys. Good luck to you guys except for when we play y’all.



His phone began blowing up.



Most teammates reached out individually over text or with a phone call, expressing a similar level of shock to what Griffin was feeling.



“I was like, ‘What the fuck?'” Austin Rivers said.



On Jan. 29, 2018, the Clippers sent Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first-round pick (which had 1-4 protection until 2021, but it converted this past summer and netted standout rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and a 2019 second-round pick.



The Clippers and the Pistons pulled off the near impossible in the social media age: A...