The Boston Celtics may still be interested in trading with the Los Angeles Clippers for Blake Griffin, and he could help take them to a new level after the signing of Al Horford.
Except for getting lucky and landing Kevin Durant in the most franchise-altering sweepstakes of NBA free agency, the Boston Celtics couldn’t be feeling much better about the state of their team right now. They rose to 4th in defensive efficiency last season, have one of the best young coaches in Brad Stevens, won 48 games after winning only 25 in 2013-14, and landed their new star center in Al Horford on a four-year, $113 million max deal.
The best part about that signing? They didn’t have to crack open their heavy treasure chest of assets to get him, instead luring him to Boston with the promise of their team, their coach, and their future.
However, thanks to keeping those trade assets and not using them at the deadline back in February, the Celtics still have the pieces to pull off another major trade to land a second star.
In fact, besides other popular suggestions, the Celtics are now the most likely trade destination for Russell Westbrook this summer, according to a new report from Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck.
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Jae Crowder, All-Defensive First Team guard Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, a host of rookies, and the Brooklyn Nets’ first round picks for 2017 and 2018 headline some of their pieces to trade. When a superstar could be acquired, they won’t hesitate to make a deal.
One popular target over the last few months has been Los Angeles Clippers superstar Blake Griffin, a player who has once again appeared in rumors and discussions, many of which are based on speculation. And when making an argument from the Clippers’ standpoint — despite the insistence of Doc Rivers to keep the core together and the likelihood of that happening for now — the possibility of losing Griffin for nothing in free agency next year is looming.
Plus, seeing as the Golden State Warriors are still in the way, another playoff attempt may not be worth it when the price could be losing two superstars in Blake and Chris Paul for no return when it’s over.
Well, at least that’s the argument for those who are pro trade Blake. No matter how interested the Celtics could be, though, such assets may not interest the Clippers in a trade (more on that later).
Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that the Celtics could use Griffin. So, here’s a look at the reasons why they may still be motivated to pursue him now.
Next: More offensive firepower outside of Thomas and Horford
The Celtics still need more offensive firepower
The Celtics just got an awful lot better by signing Al Horford. He can space the floor, he shot far better than ever from deep with 88 threes at a 34.4 percent rate last season, is an excellent pick-and-pop option for the guards to work with, he can roll well to the basket, drive, and pass.
His stellar defense and versatility at that end of the floor is extremely valuable, too, but the Celtics still aren’t a top contender.
There’s only so much Horford can do. When Isaiah Thomas was off the floor last season, the Celtics scored 8.5 fewer points per 100 possessions, leaving the team without a consistent option they could use to create a basket. Avery Bradley can create his own shot off the dribble from mid-range at times and Boston’s ball movement helped them be an effective unit, but they simply needed more offense (13th in offensive efficiency) to become an elite team and take the pressure off their 5’9″ point guard.
As much as Horford can help with his two-way skill set, the host of talent and scoring weapons Blake Griffin has to offer is certainly worth the sacrifice of a few trade assets.
More so than Horford and most big men in the league, Griffin can use his rare athleticism and ball handling ability to create for himself. When he isn’t using his strength to back down opponents in the post or stepping back with his improved mid-range game, he can take opponents off the dribble like very few bigs can.
And while Horford can drive down the lane, he can’t tear away in transition, blow past faster defenders when he faces up, or create so easily off the dribble as the younger Griffin can.
Before injury last season, Griffin was at his best. It’s just easy for people to forget that after the incident with Matias Testi. He averaged 23.2 points per game on 50.8 percent shooting prior to injury in the first 30 games of the regular season, and when combining his interior creation with the three-point of Horford, their combination of range, ability inside, and pick-and-roll threat would seriously bolster the Celtics’ offense.
On top of scoring, it’s passing where Griffin really helps.
Next: A new elite passer
A new elite passer
Beyond the obvious scoring that Blake brings, it’s his passing that could really open up new success for the Celtics and allow their offense to run through the frontcourt far more often.
Horford is also a great passer, so when adding Griffin into the mix, it isn’t hard to see how they compliment Brad Stevens fast-paced system and take pressure off Isaiah Thomas from creating so much of the offense.
Even if Griffin slows down some of the ball movement at times when he’s allowed to work in the post, having another creator won’t hurt at all. Griffin recorded a career-high assist percentage of 27.2 this season and 26.2 in 2014-15, averaging 5.1 assists per game over both seasons to truly become one of the best passing bigs in the NBA.
When he isn’t passing from the post like Horford or driving to kick to the perimeter, Griffin’s ability to pull down a rebound, handle the ball up court, then deliver accurate passes in transition helps further still. With Griffin and Horford drawing so much attention, space will only be easier to find for Thomas and the Celtics’ other shooters.
Griffin adding a new dynamic with some big-to-big pick-and-roll play is another valuable asset to have. He isn’t required to be the ball handler very often in pick-and-rolls, only running such plays 5.7 percent of the time for the Clippers, but he executed at an exceptional rate this season when he did by creating 1.18 points per possession, good enough for 1st in the NBA (albeit on a small sample size, per NBA.com).
When putting that ball handling ability to use alongside Horford, the level to which the Celtics’ frontcourt has been upgraded will be startling for fans to see. Griffin is a monumental upgrade over Jared Sullinger to say the least.
Next: Griffin's age coincides with the Celtics' future
Griffin’s age and prime coincides with the Celtics’ future
The Celtics took a jump towards competing now with Al Horford. They wanted Kevin Durant, so it’s clear Danny Ainge isn’t just going to sit back and wait a few years for all his draft picks to grow in order to see how far the team can make it in the playoffs. He wants stars.
That being said, the Celtics aren’t a title contender just yet. That’s not discounting the talent they have or underrating the signing of Horford, it’s merely the case for every team in the East outside of Cleveland right now. Thomas and Horford leading the way as the team’s star duo simply isn’t enough.
Whether or not Boston’s 2016 3rd overall pick Jaylen Brown can develop and become an impact two-way player is yet to be seen, not to be mention some of their later selections such as Guerschon Yabusele (aka “French Draymond”) or Demetrius Jackson.
There’s a lot of youth that Brad Stevens has to work with in the future, but he’ll be waiting on them to develop right now, and a year or two down the line could really be the team’s sweet spot when it comes to making a genuine push for winning the Eastern Conference.
Trading for Blake Griffin would jolt them forward in that pursuit of escaping the East, possibly even as high as the No. 2 seed. But in his prime at 27 years old, he can grow with these Celtics in a way that a 30-year-old Horford can’t. After some of those young guys are ready to genuinely contribute, Horford will be nearing his mid thirties and Griffin can still be the athletic powerhouse in the latter years of his prime leading the charge.
As great as Horford can be in Boston, Griffin could be more valuable, especially in the years to come.
Next: The Celtics have trade assets to use, so why not?
The Celtics have trade assets to use, so why not?
Can the Celtics land Blake Griffin? It all comes down to whether Doc Rivers and the Clippers will consider letting him go, and as of right now, that still doesn’t seem likely. However, if there’s a team with some assets to throw around, it’s the Celtics.
All-Defensive First Team Avery Bradley has obvious appeal for his exceptional defense and sound shooting to bolster the backcourt outside of Chris Paul and Austin Rivers (even if Bradley plays large minutes off the bench) and Jae Crowder would be a clear upgrade at small forward. He’s a strong, versatile defender, capable of guarding multiple positions and holding his own against power forwards in the post, and unlike Luc Mbah a Moute, he can operate from three-point range (122 made threes at a passable 33.6 percent rate last season).
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While it would clearly take more than Bradley and Crowder to tempt Doc to part with Griffin — Amir Johnson could be included to fill the hole at power forward — such players would provide upgrades on the wing, although pieces would need to be sent away from the Clippers along with Blake to create the roster space and avoid crowded rotations.
And at that point, the Clippers really aren’t getting enough to warrant trading their perennial All-Star.
The problem for Ainge is that having young talent like Jaylen Brown and more high future draft picks won’t interest the Clippers. They’re still fully committed to win-now mode and if they intend to re-sign Paul next summer when he has the option to test free agency (why would they want him to go, anyway?), young assets won’t do any favors when it comes to selling him on the Clippers’ future to contend.
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Until we hear anything serious about a trade, it seems safe to say the Clippers are holding onto Griffin, no matter how much he can help the Celtics. A potential deal isn’t going to work both ways in this speculated scenario.