The Nets have asked the Warriors to hold their drink, and their pursuit of all six Infinity Stones continues with their latest signing. Blake Griffin and the Nets have agreed to a deal, according to ESPN, which means they’ve successfully pried the six-time All-Star from a Detroit franchise that agreed to buy out the remaining year-and-change of his contract. When the signing is made official, the Nets can run out a lineup that features Griffin, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, easily one of the most talented five-man units this league will have seen in recent history. It was the league’s worst-kept secret: In Brooklyn, the rich get richer and a team with championship aspirations just added another talented playmaker desperate to get out of his previous situation. “I’m sure he wants to win,” new teammate James Harden said after Sunday’s All-Star Game. “If he passed up on money to stay in Detroit, he wants to win and he wants to have an opportunity to play meaningful minutes, and I’m assuming one of the reasons why he came.”
The Nets also employ DeAndre Jordan, Griffin’s ex-Lob City partner for a decade during their time together in Los Angeles with the Clippers. Griffin, after a decade as one of the league’s premier high-flying forwards, wants to win a championship at this stage of his career, according to reports. And Nets GM Sean Marks has maintained since the beginning of the season that the team is on the hunt for every way to improve a team squarely positioned to compete for an NBA championship. “We know the athletic and high-jumping Blake,” Harden said. “But these last couple years he’s knocking down the three ball a little bit better, ballhandling is a lot better and he can be a great contributor to this team.” The Nets have a full roster, which means they would need to waive a player to make room for Griffin, likely a player on a 10-day contract. Veterans Iman Shumpert and Andre Roberson are on 10-day deals, as is G-League big man Tyler Cook. Griffin has only appeared in 20 games this season since he and the Pistons agreed it best he stay away from the team while they negotiated his way out of Detroit. He was not very effective in those 20 games, averaging just 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes per game. Griffin’s fit is also questionable on a Nets team that already had its bout with defensive shortcomings. He was never a defensive standout and by the time the All-Star break is over, will be a month removed from his last minutes of action in an NBA game. If the Nets sign him, it’s unclear what role he will play, how effective he can be in that role, how quickly he can get up to speed with the Nets’ offensive and defensive philosophies, where his conditioning level is, and whether he can regain the form that once endeared him as one of the league’s most electrifying talents. The Nets also have players who have proven effective at Griffin’s position, including veteran forward Jeff Green, second-year big man Nic Claxton, hybrid wing Bruce Brown and, of course, Jordan, who hit his stride during the team’s West Coast trip. Griffin also has to fight an uphill battle, bouncing back from back-to-back surgeries on his left knee over each of the two seasons preceding this one. He averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the 2018-19 season but has not been able to stay on the floor since. Last season, Griffin averaged 15.5 points. His production tapered off in Detroit this season before he stepped away from the team.
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