Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin has an Early Termination Option for this summer in his contract. If he chooses to opt out, the Boston Celtics could be considered to be his top choice, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (transcribed by RealGM):
“Boston is really the danger for Blake Griffin,” said Wojnarowski. “I think Boston’s two primary free agent targets, right now, are Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin. Now they’re not going to get both of them, but they’re both players that would potentially have interest there. I think Boston looks at in different ways with their future.”
Griffin also is said to have noticed the way Boston embraced Paul Pierce during his final visit.
As Woj mentioned, the Celtics also have their eye on Gordon Hayward. Hayward is probably higher on Boston’s priority list. He’s a little younger, his injury history is much less concerning, and he’s just coming into his prime; he made his first All-Star Game this season.
Due to varying injuries, Griffin is no longer considered the marquee player that he was a couple seasons ago. He seems less physical and less explosive than he was in the earlier portion of his career. He’s still an elite power forward, though. He’s lost some of his explosiveness and rebounding ability, but he’s become much more skilled as a ball-handler and passer.
In 61 games for the Clippers this season, Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. His rebounding average, field goal percentage (49.3 percent) and blocks-per-game average (0.4) are all career-low marks – a sign that Griffin is moving further from the basket on both ends.
