It hasn't crossed Blake Griffin's mind yet, what he might do next summer when he becomes a free agent. But he could very well be next summer's Kevin Durant.
A lot is in the balance this season. Can Griffin return to the floor healthy? Can he get back into the MVP conversation? Will the Clippers get to the conference finals?
All of those things will influence Griffin's decision on his future. But that hasn't stopped rumors from already coming in.
Griffin doesn't hear the noise and is playing this season just like it's any other.
“Contract year or not a contract year, I’m playing the exact same way and focused on the exact same things,” Griffin says. “I haven’t had any conversations about free agency or about anything. If there’s something that anybody hears throughout the course of the season, it’s false, because it didn’t come from me. … This season is just like any other season. My main focus is to accomplish what we’re here to accomplish, and that’s a championship.”
Griffin went on to address Durant's decision and how that could impact his. The Thunder are one franchise Griffin has already been linked to with Oklahoma City being his hometown.
“That talk doesn’t impact me,” Griffin says dismissively, when reminded about the hopeful hometown theory. “It’s always going to be there. Fans always want to speculate. My main focus all summer long was getting healthy and getting better. My main focus now is this season. There’s so much basketball to play. I don’t want to say what other players do is none of my business, because it does affect your business whether you’re playing against them. But whether KD is in Oklahoma or Golden State, it’s all the same. We’re going to lace up and play whatever team anybody is with.”
It's true that Durant now being out of OKC opens the door for Griffin to return home. So it does affect him in some way.
Griffin's focused on this season now. Whatever the rumors continue to sound like, we won't really know until Griffin makes a decision next summer. And if this past summer is any indication, you never know what a player might decide.
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