There were concerns that Blake Griffin might force the Clippers into a rebuild this summer. The entire state of the franchise was dependent on Griffin's decision after the departure of Chris Paul. Had Griffin chosen to leave in Free Agency then Los Angeles would undoubtedly have been forced into a rebuild.
It appears that will not be the case, however, as the Clippers and Griffin have reached an agreement on a 5-year, $173 million contract, according to The Vertical. According to the Los Angeles Times, the contract was valued at as $175 million. That fifth year will not only give Griffin long-term security on his contract, but it allows Los Angeles to re-tool its roster around him.
Griffin finished meeting with the Clippers and sides finalized a five-year, maximum contract, league sources tell The Vertical. https://t.co/MjYJjY4wKf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2017
Blake Griffin plans to reach agreement on a five-year, $173 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2017
Update: Blake Griffin accepts maximum deal of $175 million to re-sign with Clippers https://t.co/EyzTEqK1kH
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 1, 2017
Griffin's new contract will also begin a new era of Clippers basketball. He's right in the middle of his prime without Chris Paul there to run the show anymore. His touches and role are going to skyrocket with Los Angeles putting the entirety of the offense on his shoulders.
Next season will be a great chance to see what Griffin can do with a larger role in creating an offense. He's shown flashes of it over the years, but usually he let Paul do most of the heavy lifting in that department. The Clippers are going to look different next year and that's exciting.
