The Los Angeles Clippers shocked everyone by trading away Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. What followed was speculation that they would blow up the team entirely, opting for younger players after a somewhat failed experiment to win with their big three.
However, that does not appear to be the case. The Clippers mostly took back expiring or non-guaranteed deals to maximize cap space and it appears as though they want to spend part of it on re-signing their other free agent star.
With Chris Paul headed to the Houston Rockets, the LA Clippers will turn their attention to keeping Blake Griffin, a source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Griffin notified the team last week that he will not pick up his option for next season.
The Clippers are of the understanding that it will take a five-year deal to keep Griffin, a source told Shelburne.
It was previously reported that JJ Redick is unlikely to re-sign with the Clippers.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Michael Eaves is reporting that Griffin may not be back from his playoffs-ending injury until December (although Shelburne has a conflicting report that he will be back before the start of the season).
Shelburne previously reported that it’s unclear whether the Clippers were willing to give Paul a five-year max contract due to his age.
If true, it seems clear that the Clippers made a choice between Paul and Griffin, opting to pay the younger player to maximize their long-term outlook. On the other hand, reports indicate that it may have been out of their hands as Paul was not happy with his situation in LA.
