Former number-one overall pick Blake Griffin has officially reached a buyout with the Detroit Pistons and is set to hit the free-agent market.
Griffin will be free to sign with any team of his choosing as of 5 p.m. on Sunday and the Brooklyn Nets are expected to sign the six-time All-Star according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
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Blake Griffin Expected To Sign With Nets
“Blake Griffin has cleared free-agency waivers and the six-time NBA All-Star is expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets,” Shams tweeted on Sunday.
Blake Griffin has cleared free agency waivers and the six-time NBA All-Star is expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2021
Harden Sounds off on Potential Blake Griffin Signing
Before the news came down that Griffin intends to sign with Brooklyn, 2021 All-Star James Harden sounded off on what signing another generational talent would mean for the Nets.
“We haven’t made that move yet, we haven’t acquired anybody yet, so I can answer that later if it happens, but we all know how exciting Blake Griffin is and the player he is,” Harden said via Yahoo Sports.
Blake Griffin News Sends Twitter Into Oblivion
After NBA Twitter caught wind of Griffin’s intention to sign with the Nets, fans went into an uproar:
LMFAOOOOOOO IT’S OVER
— BGN (@BullsGotNext) March 7, 2021
This only hurts the Nets. Griffin is washed and has horrible defense 💀
— NYK(19-18) | NYJ(2-14)🗽 (@Kytalkssports) March 7, 2021
The Nets are contenders!
— Magic’s Burner (@MagicsBurner) March 7, 2021
Griffin To Nets Means a ‘Lob City’ Reunion
Griffin should fit in perfectly when he arrives in Brooklyn as he will be greeted by his former Los Angeles Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan. Griffin and Jordan played a huge part in the resurgence of the Clippers organization as they were apart of the ‘Lob City’ trio which featured future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.
Griffin, Jordan, and Paul were presumed the favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals in 2015. Unfortunately, Lob City’s championship run was cut short after blowing a 3-1 lead to Harden and the Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals. Golden State would go on to win the championship that year which marked the birth of a new dynasty.
Coach Steve Nash Has Rotation Decisions To Make
On the season, Griffin is averaging 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. While adding a superstar to an NBA roster mid-season may seem like an easy transition it is not. Now it will be up to head coach Steve Nash to decide what their rotation will be moving forward.
Do you keep DJ in the starting lineup now that you will have plenty of size between Griffin and Kevin Durant? What happens with Bruce Brown who has been playing like a stud as of late? What about Joe Harris? He is a marksman but is he good enough to get starting minutes over Blake, KD, Kyrie, and Harden?
These are all decisions that Nash will be faced with after the All-Star break.
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One player who doesn’t have problems sacrificing is Harden. ‘The Beard’ came to the Nets with one goal in mind and that was to capture his first NBA title, even if it meant not playing his usual style of basketball.
“Obviously, I could be more aggressive offensively, but we have more than enough scorers and guys that can put the ball in the basket,” Harden told reporters via CBS Sports.
“Just got to pick and choose my spots, which I feel like I’m doing OK. But facilitating, getting guys shots, getting our bigs finishing at the rim, and just trying to be solid defensively is what I’m trying to do.”
The Nets will open the second half of their season when they play the Boston Celtics on March 11.
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