During the free agency period that begins in just over a day, one of the most sought out players on the open market will be All-Star forward Blake Griffin.
The 28-year-old will attract several different suitors outside of the Los Angeles Clippers such as the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Oklahoma City Thunder. However, these teams will also have to take into consideration his health as ESPN's Michael Eaves and Ramona Shelburne have conflicting reports when Griffin could return from injury following his plantar plate injury during the postseason.
Complicating the matter however, sources told ESPN's Michael Eaves, is that Griffin may not be ready for the start of the next season and could possibly be out until December due to a toe injury that cut short his postseason.
A separate source told Shelburne the team believes Griffin's toe will be healed and he'll likely be ready for the start of the season.
Griffin had suffered the toe injury during the first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz that abruptly ended his season and eventually the Clippers' brief playoff run. In truth, injuries have played a significant part of his career over the last several seasons as he's missed at least 14 games in each of the last years while playing in only 163 out of a possible 246 games in the regular season over that span.
This is something that each of these teams pursuing him will have to weigh when considering offering him a max contract. There is a real concern that Griffin could be dogged by the injury bug over the next few years.
Ultimately, this should all make an interesting free agency experience for Griffin as he will have a plethora of options in front of him that will have a major impact on the next phase of his career.
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