Getty Blake Griffin of the Brooklyn Nets was linked to the Boston Celtics.
Per “Basketball-Reference”, pending Brooklyn Nets All-Star free agent Blake Griffin played a career-low 17.1 minutes per game during the 2021-22 season. It is the first time in his career that he has averaged less than 20 minutes per game in a season. Griffin only played 25 minutes in total for the Nets in their first-round playoff elimination against the Boston Celtics. And with such a significant drop-off in minutes this season, it does not appear that the six-time All-Star will be a part of the team’s future.
Griffin may not be the explosive, high-flying, athlete he was when he was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft, but he still has enough athleticism, and defensive intensity to be serviceable to a contending team. One Eastern Conference general manager tells Heavy’s Sean Deveney that the Dallas Mavericks could have interest in the All-Star forward.
“The Mavericks are a team; they will be looking for some energy in the frontcourt off the bench. They need to really remake their frontcourt, even with as well as they played in the playoffs. They need a young guy, a shot-blocker, they will be aggressive with that,” the general manager said to Deveney.
“But they’re going to need some depth. They were undersized up front. A guy like [Blake] Griffin, in spurts. he is a good fit there.”
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Mavs Could Target Nic Claxton in Free Agency
The Nets have a multitude of players from the 2022 roster set to enter free agency on July 1. And although Brooklyn had a disappointing 2022 season that ended in a first-round sweep, they still have a lot of talented players who could be a key asset for other contenders around the league. The east general manager told Deveney that Nets free agent big man Nicolas Claxton could be on the Mavericks’ radar as well.
“I think you’d see the Mavericks looking for a guy like that,” the general manager said to Deveney about Claxton. “Look, if the Nets are planning to match offers for him, it might not be easy for him to get an offer, to begin with. But a team that needs a young guy with a growing roster, Dallas makes a lot of sense, but can they arrange things so they can make a good offer.”
Mavs Could Be Legit Contenders in 2023
Despite trading their big man Kristaps Porzingis at the deadline and losing their guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to injury, the Mavericks made it to this year’s Western Conference Finals. And they gave Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors all they could manage. But Dallas proved that they are true contenders who are ready to take the next step and could be major buyers during this year’s free agency period as a result.
They have added former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie to their roster, who showed flashes of being a legitimate co-star next to Luka Doncic, who has proven to be a bonafide superstar in this league. If they can put the right players around their key guys, the Mavericks could be in a great position to win their first title in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era, ahead of schedule.
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