Getty Images Blake Griffin of the Brooklyn Nets congratulates Kyrie Irving.
The Brooklyn Nets have a lot of moving pieces this offseason, and there isn’t one bigger than superstar Kevin Durant.
There’s still a lot of time between now and the start of the season, and there’s really no telling where the Nets are at in terms of keeping or trading him. Trading him would essentially be giving up on the season and going into rebuild while keeping him would make the team a title contender yet again.
Outside of the stars, the Nets also have to figure out what to do with their role players. Blake Griffin is somebody who found himself out of the rotation completely, but he did step up in the playoffs and possibly earn himself another contract with the series against the Boston Celtics.
While a Nets return does seem unlikely for Griffin, he could find himself playing next year on a different contender. Sports Illustrated’s Ben Stinar suggests the six-time All-Star should shift conferences and sign with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Aging Vet on Rising Team?
Seeing Griffin in his prime playing alongside Ja Morant would certainly be an exciting thing to see, but unfortunately that won’t be the case here.
Still, Griffin has some valuable insight he can provide to a team, and the Grizzlies would give him the chance to go on another deep playoff run before he hangs it all up and retires.
If for nothing else, Stinar argues the Grizzlies should get him for his leadership and added depth.
“However, the real reason they should look into signing him is for depth and veteran leadership,” he wrote. “The Grizzlies are a young team, so it would be nice to have a player on the roster who is a former All-Star. Last season, the 33-year-old averaged 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in just over 17 minutes per contest.”
So far, there hasn’t been much traction on Griffin signing with anybody, but the expectation is that he’ll find a new home eventually.
Where Could He Go?
If he doesn’t land with the rising Grizzlies, there are still plenty of viable landing spots for Griffin, including a return to Los Angeles. However, instead of reuniting with the Clippers, the Lakers could prove to be a better fit for him.
“Look, you do not want to get hit with Covid issues again this year, no team does,” an NBA executive told Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. “You are going to need a couple of roster spots for veterans who can be thrown into the mix without missing a beat and Blake can do that. The Lakers took some swings on young guys, but give me a veteran on that roster and I feel a lot better about the depth trouble they might wind up having. But that kind of thing is on hold until the Lakers figure out what they’re doing with the rest of their summer here.”
Griffin is far from the player he was with the Clippers or even part of his Pistons tenure, but he can still be effective in small spurts.
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