Free agent Blake Griffin, most recently with the Brooklyn Nets, sat much of the summer looking for a new team, and with a new season looming he has finally inked a new contract.
On September 30, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Griffin would be signing with the Boston Celtics.
“Free agent Blake Griffin has agreed to a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN,” he reported.
Griffin was never expected to return to the Nets, and the writing was definitely on the wall after he spent much of the year out of the rotation. He did play some vital minutes in the playoffs against the Celtics, and that might’ve been enough to earn him a new contract.
Griffin Lands With a Rival
While this isn’t the Blake Griffin of the Clippers or even the Pistons anymore, he’s still a crafty veteran who can make the most of his minutes.
Despite barely playing for the Nets, he was among the league leaders in charges taken. Given his health concerns, taking charges might not be the best thing for him to be doing at this stage in his career, but it is a way he can stand out on the defensive end.
The Celtics do have a big hole in their front court with Robert Williams out, so Griffin could have a defined role with the team, at least at the start of the season. Something Griffin has been working on over the past several seasons is an outside shot, and he’s gotten quite good at it. Even though he’s not making rim-shattering dunks anymore, he can still provide in a variety of other areas.
With all that said, the Nets not bringing him back makes a lot of sense as they try to get younger at their big man position. Nic Claxton is going to be starting at center, and he’ll likely be splitting time with Ben Simmons at the position. This makes the team a lot younger than there were with LaMarcus Aldridge and Griffin in the lineup.
Nets Moving Forward
After a long, drama-filled offseason, the Nets are looking to put all of that behind them as they go into a new season.
Simmons looks like he’s healthy and ready to go this season, so fans will finally be able to get a good glimpse at what the new Big 3 in Brooklyn looks like consisting of him, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
On paper, they have the makings of one of the top teams in the NBA, but the same thing could’ve been said of last year’s roster and look at what happened to that team. If the Nets can remain healthy and drama-free, then this team could definitely compete for a championship, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Losing big men like Aldridge and Griffin were expected, but the Nets didn’t do much to address the holes left behind, so they could find themselves pushed around defensively by some of the big men in the east such as Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That will definitely be an area to watch for as the season progresses.
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Former Nets Veteran Finds New Home With Eastern Rival