The Detroit Pistons agreed to a buyout with Blake Griffin weeks after both sides mutually agreed that parting ways would be the best course of action. He will soon be a free agent to sign with his next NBA team. It just remains to be seen which organization that will be.
Among the NBA contenders who are interested in signing Blake Grifin are the Lakers, Clippers, Nets, Heat and Warriors, per New York Times’ Marc Stein. He also noted that Brooklyn is currently considered the ‘front-runner to sign Griffin.
The potential fit for Blake Griffin with the Nets would not be a perfect one. He struggles to defend out in space and Brooklyn is a switch-oriented defense. His back-to-basket oriented offensive style could hamper the team’s perimeter focused half-court offense.
As long as Blake Griffin would be willing to embrace being a short-roll playmaker and attack within the flow of the offense, he could be a real asset for the Nets. He has improved as a spot-up and pick-and-pop threat but hasn’t played with much ferocity in the paint this season.
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The idea of using Blake Griffin more as a small ball center is an intriguing once for the Brooklyn Nets, or really for any contender. The Lakers could use more frontcourt depth with Anthony Davis recovering from injury while the Clippers, Heat, and Warriors could benefit from another way to attack defenses within the half-court.
It was been a real struggle for Blake Griffin to make much of an impact for the Detroit Pistons, so it still is worth questioning what kind of contributions he can give this season. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 36.5% from the field and 31.5% from beyond the arc. Regardless, his previous level of play makes him a name to watch in NBA rumors.
