Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have decided to opt out of their contracts and become a free-agent.
We all knew it was coming. There was no other way around it. But, the news is finally official. According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Brad Turner, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have become a free-agents.
Sources: Clippers All-Star forward Blake Griffin has opted out of his contract to become a free agent.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2017
Blake
Before everybody starts to panic, this was expected. With only one year left on his five-year $95 million deal, it makes sense for Griffin to opt out and cash in on a max-contract. And to make Clippers fans a little happier, Blake can earn the most money if he resigns with the Clippers.
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
It’s likely Griffin re-signs with the Clippers. However, there has been speculation that he could sign elsewhere. The Rockets expressed interested in making a push at Griffin. The Celtics are also in the mix, and considered the front-runners to snag him away from Los Angeles. There have also been reports of the Clippers potentially using Blake Griffin in a “sign-and-trade”, in the hopes of acquiring Paul George or Kristaps Porzingis.
Griffin, who finished third in the MVP voting in 2014, has struggled to remain healthy over the last few seasons. While his numbers during the regular season have been solid, his injury history in the postseason is concerning. There’s no doubt that he is a top-25 player in the NBA, but many believe that he just isn’t the right fit in Los Angeles.
CP3
Clippers guard Chris Paul has also informed the Clippers he is declining his option to become unrestricted free agent, per source
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 23, 2017
Chris Paul also can earn the most money by staying with the team. He lead the Player’s Association in negotiations last summer in an argument which paid players better for re-signing. However, there have been countless rumors that the San Antonio Spurs and CP3 have mutual interest.
The Clippers find themselves in a tough situation. In the same conference with the Warriors, it’ll be tough to assemble a team in order to beat them. But there’s no question that it can’t be done without Blake Griffin or Chris Paul.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see which teams make pushes for the duo, and what kind of an effort the Clippers make in order to bring them back.