The Boston Celtics required replacements since Danilo Gallinari had a ruptured ACL and Robert Williams III had a knee injury that would keep him out for months. Blake Griffin, who agreed to a guaranteed one-year contract with the Celtics, was their solution.
Blake Griffin, a former Champion who most recently played for the Brooklyn Nets, has agreed to get a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics. Griffin appears to be joining the Celtics for the start of this season because the deal is guaranteed and won’t be changed during training camp.
As training camps began throughout the NBA, the 33-year-old Griffin, who had spent the previous season and a half with the Brooklyn Nets, was still a free agent. Before the season, the Celtics endured two significant frontcourt injuries. One belongs to Robert Williams III, and the other to Danilo Gallinari. In Williams’ absence, Luke Kornet is anticipated to have a more significant part. Still, after only part taking in 12 games the previous year, it’s not egregious if he can take on further responsibility.
Before Griffin’s formal inclusion, one player must be removed from the Celtics’ camp roster because they are only allowed to have 20 players there. Their two-way contracts make JD Davidson and Mfiondu Kabengele’s positions secure. Several non-guaranteed deals (Vonleh, Samanic, Thomas, Valentine, Layman, and Jackson) may be chosen in the ensuing day or two. Given how understaffed Boston is upfront for the preseason, the odds are in favour of it being a player in the backcourt.
Photo by: Michael Reaves
Griffin has averaged 19.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in 724 regular-season games with the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Detroit Pistons. Griffin averaged 21.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game from 2010 to 2019. Griffin averaged 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his second season in Brooklyn last year, but he only shot 42.5% from the field.
All-Star five Griffin’s one-year deal
Griffin was chosen an All-Star five seasons in a row after missing his rookie season due to injury, and he also received four All-NBA nominations during that time. Over eight seasons with the Clippers, the big forward averaged 21.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. After being bought out in 2021, Griffin contemplated joining the Celtics, but he ultimately decided to sign with the Nets, where he has spent the past two seasons. Even while signing a player for the veteran’s minimum salary may not seem like much, Boston will pay a high price to contract Griffin for an entire season of guaranteed money, considering their current payroll. Griffin’s salary for the season will be slightly under $3 million, but Boston’s current payroll will result in luxury tax fines that are more than quadruple that amount.
If Blake Griffin fails in the long run, the Celtics have ways to avoid such sanctions. The now-33-year-old Griffin has slowed down due to injuries and aging, but even though he isn’t the same player who made six All-Star appearances and was selected to an All-NBA Team five times, in the brief times he will be on the court, he can still have an impact the game on both sides of the floor.
Does Boston Celtics have the option?
With two significant trade exceptions and perhaps a disabled player exception for Danilo Gallinari, the Celtics still will have plenty of opportunities to bolster their squad this year. With the addition of Griffin, the Celtics’ roster-building process has become a bit more evident, albeit it is still far from complete.
Griffin’s inclusion in the group, though, simply narrowed the race for roster places throughout camp and probably guaranteed a position for the time being.
He is also the most adaptable offensive player the Celtics could have acquired. As his career progressed, he became a significantly better ball handler, facilitator, and long-range shooter.
