Report: Free agents Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap will meet with Suns
Free agent forwards Blake Griffin will meet with the Phoenix Suns when the NBA free agency period begins Saturday, reports John Gambadoro.
Free agent forwards Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap will meet with the Phoenix Suns after the NBA free agency moratorium period begins Saturday, reports John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station.
Gambadoro reports the 28-year-old Griffin will meet with Phoenix this weekend. An unrestricted free agent, Griffin could be more likely to find a new home after the Los Angeles Clippers dealt All-Star point guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets this week.
Though Griffin missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury and has played in just 59 percent of the available regular season games over the past two seasons because of health issues, the 6-foot-10, 251-pound power forward will be one of the most highly pursued players on the free agency market assuming Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant re-sign with the Golden State Warriors.
Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 61 games last year before a toe injury ended his season.
ESPN reports that Griffin could be out until December because of the injury, and that could keep the Clippers from offering a five-year, $175 million max deal.
With a projected salary cap of $99 million, the Suns would need to move several million in cap space to sign Griffin, who under a full max contract would make around $30 million his first season and $130 total over four years.
Millsap averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 2016-17 for the Atlanta Hawks.
At 32 years old, the 6-foot-8, 246-pound forward would project as a more risky signing for a Phoenix team with such a young group of core players outside of Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe and Jared Dudley.
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Comments
168 Comments
Blake Griffin will lead us to mediocrity. We need to find superstars in the draft. It's probably not going to happen drafting 13th every year. Plus he only plays in 59% of his games.
Compete for what? First and maybe second round exits for the next few years? No thanks, it's about winning championships, not mediocrity. We need to find some superstars through the draft and then add good free agents to put us over the top.
The Suns were the second worst team in the NBA last year. A perennial all-star wants to sign here. But no, two high draft picks who might be good some day are a better option? Really? Both Bender or Chriss would be very, very lucky to be close the player Griffin is, including injuries.