Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin soon will become one of the most coveted NBA free agents.
The All-Star forward has opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and will become a free agent when the market opens July 1, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday, citing sources.
Griffin can earn $175 million over 5 years if he resigns with the Clippers. He'll get $130 million over 4 years with another team.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 23, 2017
Griffin, when healthy, is talented enough to be one of the top 10 players in the league and a legitimate MVP candidate.
Staying healthy has been a challenge for him, though. He hasn’t played a full season since his 2010-11 rookie campaign, and he’s missed a total of 83 games over the past three seasons because of various injuries.
Griffin averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Clippers this past season. It’s entirely possible he remains in Los Angeles, but he has been linked to other teams in free agent rumors, including the Boston Celtics.
Giving Griffin a max contract with his injury history would be a pretty large risk, but some team undoubtedly will do it.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images