The Boston Celtics have one roster spot left with all their moves this offseason. One possible candidate for that final spot could be used on Blake Griffin, who would help with their frontcourt depth following Grant Williams’ departure. According to MassLive’s Brian Robb, the lack of noise on Griffin’s return could mean he’s not returning.
“It’s been eerily quiet on the Blake Griffin front since the season ended. Brad Stevens made no mention of him in any of his press conferences, and that could be a signal the team is moving on,” Robb wrote.
Robb added why the Celtics may be going this route with Griffin.
“For now, the Celtics may want the roster flexibility to consider other additions knowing that Griffin is available as a backup plan for another true big. The team probably isn’t ready to commit guaranteed money to him though until other alternatives are ruled out.”
Griffin did an adequate job filling in for Al Horford when the Celtics sat him out on back-to-backs. With Kristaps Porzingis on the team, Griffin may not be as necessary, though there remain risks with Porzingis, Horford, and Robert Williams III.
Grant Williams Says Joe Mazzulla Has Different Philosophy
Following his sign and trade to the Dallas Mavericks, Grant Williams talked about how things changed for the Celtics under Joe Mazzulla compared to Ime Udoka on “The Old Man & The Three With JJ Redick.”
“So I think for Ime, he understood the importance of the defensive end and understanding that if a team scores 80 points, 90 points, no matter how many points we score, we give ourselves a really, really good chance of winning. While I think that Joe has a little bit more offensive, like, ‘If we make 20 threes in the game, we’re gonna win each game because we’ll have enough points because we’re going to have twos and fouls of things to add up.’”
For that reason, Williams said the Celtics weren’t as good on that end of the floor.
“That’s why I think this past year’s team had a little bit less connectivity on the defensive side of the ball because it wasn’t necessarily the priority or emphasis while the year prior it had been.”
Williams clarified that his words weren’t critiques of Mazzulla.
“I just think that different coaches in the league have different philosophies and different ideals, so I think that’s part of the reason why the difference between Ime and Joe in terms of teams,” Williams said.
Malcolm Brogdon Not Getting Traded: Exec
Though the Celtics had originally had a trade in place to send Malcolm Brogdon to the Los Angeles Clippers, Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett reported that Brogdon is not on the trading block.
“We asked about him, and we were told he’s a valued member of their team,” the league source told Bulpett.
The league source added that the Celtics value what Brogdon brings to the team.
“They said he’s a valued member of their team, and that’s where it ended,” he said. “I don’t know if that changes down the line, but we didn’t get anywhere. And I’m pretty sure we aren’t the only team that got that response.”
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Insider Provides Update on Blake Griffin’s Potential Celtics Return