Blake Griffin: 5 potential landing spots in free agency
4. Miami Heat
Unlike the Knicks or Lakers, the Miami Heat are one attractive free agency destination that can actually offer Blake Griffin the chance to be competitive, especially in the weaker Eastern Conference.
Between Pat Riley, the lure of South Beach and the allure of three championship rings, the Heat can never be counted out of any free agency discussion, especially with so much available cap room. Riley could dedicate it to re-signing his own pending free agents like Dion Waiters and James Johnson, but if one of the summer’s marquee free agents expresses interest, Miami would drop everything to make it happen.
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A core of Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Blake Griffin might not comprise a championship core, especially if James Johnson and/or Waiters couldn’t be retained. But it’s a pretty dang good start in the East, and one that would allow Griffin to strike a happy balance between getting paid a max deal, playing for a competitive team, leaving the Clippers and living in a nice city.
However, as much as Erik Spoelstra revitalized the Heat’s negotiating power with a 30-11 close to the season, a Dragic-Whiteside-Griffin core wouldn’t be built for sustained success, giving them a very limited window to contend. Without another major piece, is that group seriously challenging the Cavs, or even the Celtics, Wizards or Raptors in the East? Probably not.
It’s also worth noting that signing Griffin would mean the end of both Waiters’ and James Johnson’s time in South Beach, and the Heat would also have to renounce their other free agents, waive Wayne Ellington and hope that Josh McRoberts opted out of the $6 million left on his contract. It’s a nice thought, but pretty much a long shot.