No Green For Griffin: Blake Griffin Reportedly Signing With Brooklyn Nets
BOSTON (CBS) -- If you were hoping that the Celtics would add Blake Griffin via free agency, you're going to be pretty disappointed. The 31-year-old, who was bought out by the Detroit Pistons last week, is instead joining that super team in Brooklyn, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Griffin has decided to latch on to the Nets, joining forces with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference at 24-13, despite having Durant and Irving in and out of the lineup for large stretches of the season.
Griffin will make the league's veteran-minimum with Brooklyn, according to Woj.
Injuries have held Griffin to just 38 games over the last two seasons, with the former No. 1 overall pick averaging just 13.8 points and 4.9 rebounds over that span. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games for Detroit this season, and will now slide into a new gig as a role player in Brooklyn.
Most of the league's top contenders expressed interest in adding Griffin, according to Woj, and the Celtics were likely one of those teams. Boston is looking for some size and shooting -- ideally both with the same player, according to Danny Ainge -- as the March 25 NBA trade deadline approaches, and Griffin would have been a decent addition via the buyout market despite his poor outside shooting.
But the Celtics are going to struggle to lure the bought-out stars of yesteryear away from the NBA's top contenders, something Griffin's decision to join Brooklyn highlights.