LOS ANGELES – A franchise-caliber player doesn't come around very often, so when a team is able to acquire one either in a trade, the draft, or free agency, they should do everything in their power to get them.
After trading guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, that's exactly what the L.A. Clippers did when it came to keeping forward Blake Griffin. Just before the start of free agency, Griffin and the Clippers met, agreeing on a five-year, $172 million contract to stay in Los Angeles. For Griffin, the decision to stay in the place he calls home was a ‘no brainer.'
“Obviously this has been my home since I was drafted. A lot went into this decision for me, not only what was best for me and my family but just the quality of people and work that we have here. And that goes from owners all the way down to the coaching staff, to the roster, everything just day to day. I think with Steve Ballmer, Doc, and Lawrence, all the way down, in the end I realized this was a no brainer for me. This was the best place for me. This is the place where I want to start and finish my career and also just to the loyal fans of Clipper nation.”
For much of their history, the Clippers didn't get the big-name players, they didn't win many games, and they didn't make noise in the postseason. All of that changed once the organization won the number one overall pick in 2009 and selected Griffin with the top pick. The Clippers won 50 games for the first time and they did so five times in the last five years. They also made the postseason, hosted numerous playoff series, and saw increased overall success that was mired with bad luck and injuries. Griffin signed a five-year, $94.5 million rookie extension in 2012 and this new five-year deal would make him a 13-year player with the L.A. Clippers, easily one of the longest in franchise history.
The day before free agency started on July 1st, Griffin canceled a pair of scheduled meetings with the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets, two teams said to have had strong interest in him, before committing to stay in Los Angeles.
“Once I weighed all my options, once I really looked at it, once I got in a room and heard the plan moving forward, hearing all the options and ideas moving forward, I thought it was a no brainer,” added Griffin. “I thought that this was by far the best place. From owner all the way down. This is an owner who's willing to win, who is willing to spend to win, our coaching staff is obviously the best coaching staff in the league. The roster that was already there when I committed and the plan for the future. I took all of those things into account and I didn't want to waste anybody else's time. It was important for me to make that decision and then to get to work with these guys in filling out the roster.”
Griffin's immediate decision to commit to the team allowed President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers, VP of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank, and the front office to move forward and recover from losing Chris Paul by working a sign-and-trade for Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari as well as agreeing to terms with guard Milos Teodosic, who's considered the best point guard in European basketball.
“I told him, ‘This is your home, this is the best place for you,'” said Rivers, recalling the conversation he had with Griffin during their meeting. “‘The sooner you commit to us, if this is where you want to be, then we can go do our job. We can't go out and get Gallo and Milos. They're not coming if you're not here. If you wait too long, they'll be gone.'
“Blake had the two meetings scheduled (with Phoenix and Denver) and after we met, he told us to go in the other room and give him a couple minutes. He came back out and said, ‘I'm done, I'm not gonna do the visits, I need you guys to go do your work.'
“Blake announcing so early allowed us to do more work. I thought that was very important.”
Griffin knew how much power he held with his decision as he and Gordon Hayward entered free agency as the two most coveted players of the summer. He wasn't about the show and making a scene out of his free agency decision. Once he knew what he wanted, it allowed not only the Clippers, but the Nuggets and Suns to move on as well.
“I didn't want to waste anybody's time,” said Griffin. “Once I met with the Clippers I knew that was what I wanted to do. I didn't want to have Denver fly in and sit through what would've probably been an awesome presentation. Those teams need to be able to have room and have time to make decisions, so I didn't want to tie anybody up and make them go through the process when I already knew what I was doing.”
Any team that loses a player of Chris Paul's caliber, not to mention J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, is going to have a tough time finding capable replacements. The Clippers not only did that, but they were also able to upgrade their wing positions and grab some solid playmakers as well. Expectations, however, are being held in check as the potential for this team is still a question mark.
“As far as expectations, I don't know,” said Griffin. “The size and speed on this team is exciting. I think playing in transition, getting out, keeping the ball moving, playing free is something we're looking forward to. I think we're well equipped.
“This next chapter, this next season for the Clippers and for myself, I've never been more excited about an opportunity. I'm looking forward to getting back out there.”
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