NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 potential destinations for Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin is one of the biggest names out there in the 2017 offseason, and plenty of teams will be going after him in free agency.
Blake Griffin officially opted out of his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, and enters the 2017 NBA free agency period as one of the biggest names out there looking to get signed.
Throughout his career, Griffin has averaged 21.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, and was a big part of the Clippers’ success in the regular season over the last seven seasons. However, the team could never crack into the Western Conference Finals, no matter how well they ended their regular season seeding-wise.
Griffin has plenty to look for this offseason, but who knows where his priorities lie? Some players focus more on the financial piece, while others, like Kevin Durant, will sacrifice some of their money to make sure they stay with a contender who can win titles to help boost his legacy. Griffin could make a lot of money back in Los Angeles, but may have more success elsewhere.
The possibility is still there for a return to the Clippers, but there are plenty of enticing options out there for Griffin in this year’s free agency. Here are five potential destinations the NBA All-Star should consider.
5. New York Knicks
This may turn into a toxic situation, and doesn’t make a ton of sense, but Blake Griffin could be a good replacement for the Knicks if they’re looking to get rid of Kristaps Porzingis, and there may be mutual interest.
In a list of Griffin’s favorite NBA cities, he listed New York, and specifically the Knicks over the Nets. He apparently loves Madison Square Garden, and a switch over to the East Coast would still give him the high-profile arena that he’d be leaving in the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Knicks aren’t a winning situation, but the Western Conference hasn’t done Griffin any favors, either. He’s been trapped with the Clippers throughout his career, and the team hasn’t made it to the Western Conference Finals in his entire career, no matter how talented their roster has been. It’s tough to get much better than DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul on your side, and they still couldn’t get it done.
New York would provide Griffin with a big market to play in, and the chance to avoid the Golden State Warriors out in the Western Conference that have given him and the Clippers fits over the last few years.
While there are better options to join in the Eastern Conference and battle LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with, which we’ll get into later, this would be a solid start and a good replacement for Phil Jackson to pursue if he rids the team of Porzingis this offseason.