If Blake Griffin is bought out, these five NBA teams could be dark horses for his services.
NBA trade season is rapidly approaching, but don’t expect Blake Griffin to be on the move anytime soon … or at least, not as part of a trade.
While it’s true Griffin is currently sitting out games for the Detroit Pistons as they mull their trade and buyout options, the star power forward’s whopping $36.5 million salary would be hard for any contender to absorb even if he wasn’t a shell of his former self.
Between Griffin’s massive price tag, his $39 million player option for next season and his dwindling production in the form of a career-low 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on dismal .365/.315/.710 shooting splits, no playoff-caliber team is going to bite that kind of bullet, let alone give the Pistons legitimate assets for him.
However, as difficult as it is to work out potential trades that would make sense, that’s not to say it’s impossible to envision a scenario where Griffin gets his wish of playing for a more competitive team as his career winds down. Midseason buyouts are rare, but if the Pistons cut him loose, plenty of teams will line up to land a former superstar with passing abilities and an improved 3-point shot to their roster at a discounted price.
Griffin will have his pick of a number of contenders if he gets his buyout, but the following playoff-caliber teams could be dark horses to land him in the ensuing bidding war.
5. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are the only team on this list that could realistically swing a trade for Griffin and also pursue him in a buyout scenario. Assuming they’re not desperate enough to surrender a package of Andre Iguodala, Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard for him now, waiting to see if he’s bought out is the avenue that makes more sense.
Coming off a surprising NBA Finals run, the Heat are only three games behind the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference — even with their brutal 12-17 start heading into Saturday’s action. They’ve missed Jae Crowder in his small-ball 4 role, especially as a tough wing/interior defender who can launch 3s.
Griffin’s numbers have been dismal this season, but he’s become a 3-point shooting big in recent years, only he’s historically been a better scorer and passer than Crowder too. His high-flying days are over, but just imagine the playmaking and basketball I.Q. of a lineup that includes Griffin, Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. A change of scenery — particularly one involving that revered “Heat Culture” — could be exactly what the doctor ordered for both parties. If this former star wants a late-career renaissance, South Beach might be one of the best spots for him.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard’s best efforts to keep the Portland Trail Blazers afloat without CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic has helped him enter the MVP conversation, but how long can he keep this otherworldly play up? Rip City is fourth in the West thanks to their six-game win streak and 18-10 record, but if this team wants to make real noise in the postseason, it needs all the help it can get.
The Blazers are shorthanded in the frontcourt right now with Nurkic currently sidelined and Zach Collins still recovering from a season-ending ankle surgery back in August. Adding another capable big man to that bench would provide Dame with some much-needed assistance and experience come playoff time.
Again, we cannot emphasize enough that there’s a very good possibility Blake Griffin is just washed up at this stage. But if the 31-year-old is simply waiting for a change of scenery to reignite his career, the Blazers are looking like a fringe contender that could use his services in a less prominent role. It worked for Carmelo Anthony!
3. Phoenix Suns
It’s not a perfect fit, but as their time without Dario Saric proved, the Phoenix Suns could really use some extra insurance in the frontcourt. Relying on Damian Jones in those backup 5 minutes was painful, and while Saric is back now (and Frank Kaminsky has been great playing alongside Deandre Ayton as a starter), the Suns still lack size, strength and athleticism on that back line, especially when Ayton sits.
Griffin could help in that regard, even if his arrival would strain Monty Williams’ ability to continue cranking out sensible lineups with so much depth at each position. In Phoenix’s “0.5 offense,” which is predicated on quick decision-making and ball and player movement, Griffin’s passing would be a natural fit — especially if he can shoot 3s more like the 36.2 percent he posted in his last healthy season in 2018-19, rather than the 24.3 percent and 31.5 percent he’s posted in two banged-up seasons since.
Perhaps the Suns are content with their rotation as is, because squeezing Griffin alongside Saric in the second unit might be a stretch, and at this stage of Griffin’s career, he wouldn’t provide the rim protection or reliable defense they really need. But that’d be an awful lot of intelligence and playmaking on the court, and being able to go small for stretches with either Griffin or Saric at the 5 would just unlock even more versatility for the already-versatile Suns. If Griffin and Chris Paul can bury any remaining hatchets, this potential LA Clippers reunion might be mutually beneficial.
2. Boston Celtics
Since that 8-3 start, the Boston Celtics have gone 7-11. They’re barely over .500 now, and in perfect I Think You Should Leave fashion, general manager Danny Ainge even conceded he doesn’t think this team is currently built to contend for a championship. The Celtics are looking for answers, and none appears to be forthcoming.
In that light, if that record-breaking trade exception turns to dust like most of Ainge’s other trade assets, Griffin represents the kind of last-ditch effort to pad Boston’s depth for a playoff run, and it would make perfect sense in the event of a Pistons buyout.
Best-case, he’d provide the Celtics with yet another threat on the offensive end who can score, move the ball, knock down 3s and make life easier for everyone on the floor around him. Worst-case, he’d look completely washed and nothing would really change. If Griffin is bought out, he should be on Ainge’s radar no matter what becomes of that $28.5 million trade exception.
1. Golden State Warriors
Only two years ago, this would’ve seemed unfair, like the Golden State Warriors were gaming the system like when they signed DeMarcus Cousins. Now, both Griffin and the Dubs have fallen on hard times, and a potential union could help each of them climb back up.
For the Warriors, this kind of addition would bring star power, basketball I.Q., passing and hopefully more shooting to help Stephen Curry out. While Griffin is no longer the superstar he once was, he’d be an intriguing small-ball option at center, and if Draymond Green is playing there, he’s still capable of playing alongside him as a modern, floor-spacing 4.
Griffin could either start or come off the bench, depending on how good (or bad) he looks, but with Klay Thompson out for the year and the Warriors only two games above .500 despite Curry’s MVP-caliber season, this kind of short-term gamble involving a big name is exactly the type of move we’ve come to know Golden State for.