With the likes of Christian Wood and Javale McGee off the free agent market over the last week, the big man options are dwindling for a Golden State Warriors team with at least one roster addition to make in the next six weeks.
The Warriors currently have 13 players contracted for this upcoming season, with one spot likely to remain open for the foreseeable future due to luxury tax reasons. It leaves one opening, ideally to be used on someone capable of filling a hole in Golden State’s big man depth.
The Golden State Warriors should target five-time All-NBA player Blake Griffin for their 14th roster spot.
Blake Griffin may be long removed from his All-NBA level best, yet he’s a player who remains capable of playing a small role at the depths of a championship-aspiring rotation. For the Warriors specifically, the 34-year-old is someone who’s offensive skillset — as rusted as it may be — should fit effectively into Steve Kerr’s style of basketball.
After playing primarily as a power-forward over his first dozen years in the league, Griffin’s declining athleticism — largely due to injury — has see him transition into more of a five-man in the last two seasons.
That’s where he spent 76% of his playing time with the Boston Celtics last season, according to Basketball Reference. Griffin may have only appeared in 41 games, but he proved enough to suggest his time in the league shouldn’t be over quite yet. The Celtics appear to think that anyway, with a recent report from Adam Himmelsbach suggesting they’d be open to a reunion.
However, Himmelsbach also labels a Griffin return to Boston as ‘unlikely’ as the veteran considers his future. With Kristaps Porzingis joining Al Horford and Robert Williams III, opportunity for the six-time All-Star appears limited in the Celtic frontcourt.
This is where Griffin could have interest in Golden State whose big man depth is a tad shaky behind starting center Kevon Looney. Dario Saric is still a slight unknown as a consistent small-ball five option, while Draymond Green’s workload will have to be managed throughout the regular season. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis could become another alternative, but the 23-year-old isn’t someone you’d be relying upon entering the season.
Griffin had a +2.6 plus-minus in his 13.9 minutes per game last season — although that’s a team-orientated statistic, it does show that he can be part of productive five-man lineups. He’s a solid rebounder, shot a steady 34.8% from deep last season and is an apt passer. Those latter two skills may overlap a little with Saric, but there would be little harm in having both at Steve Kerr’s disposal.
The 2009 first overall pick also has extensive experience playing alongside Chris Paul who will presumably be running Golden State’s second-unit. That’s not an overriding reason to acquire Griffin, though it can’t hurt in evaluating what he could provide.
Griffin wouldn’t necessarily be a nightly rotation member, but he could step in when required and supply injury insurance that isn’t currently there. At worst he’d be a strong locker room presence with the sort of experience that’s valuable for a franchise that’s doubled down on their championship core this offseason.