NBA Free Agency 2017: Blake Griffin and the 10 biggest player option decisions
By John Buhler
Blake Griffin
Power Forward, Los Angeles Clippers
It’s probably time to blow up the Los Angeles Clippers. They sure can win 50 regular season games in perpetuity, but by no means has that translated into significant playoff success. Los Angeles has had three of the 25-most impactful players in the game today, but the Clippers don’t have a Western Conference Finals appearance to show for it.
One guy that will receive a great deal of the blame for the Clipper’s underachievement is power forward Blake Griffin. It’s tough, as he is the single greatest draft pick in Clippers history. He has earned every cent he has made in Los Angles in helping rebrand the Clippers from a laughing-stock into something solid.
That being said, he can and probably will opt out of the final year of his deal with the Clippers. Griffin has an early termination clause in his contract. He would stand to make $21,373,950 if the early termination clause is not exercised.
Griffin is immensely talented, but injury-plagued. Though he had more trade value last summer, he could still land something pretty promising for the Clippers in ideally a sign-and-trade. Griffin could wind up with the Clippers again should they bring the whole gang back. However, it might be time for him go to a smaller market franchise and be that big fish in a small pond sort of player or even stand out in the Eastern Conference.
Bringing back Griffin would be more of the same for the Clippers. Letting him walk for nothing wouldn’t be advantageous either. Expect Los Angeles to offer him a new contract, probably as a sign-and-trade. The Miami Heat or his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder could certainly use him.