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The Los Angeles Clippers and Blake Griffin have agreed to a five-year deal worth approximately $175 million hours before NBA free agency officially opens, reports Sam Amick of USA Today Sports.
This is a huge break for the Clippers, who just had to scrap Chris Paul for pieces in a trade with the Houston Rockets. Paul was gracious enough to strategically allow for a sign-and-trade for the Clippers that leaves him in a good position as well, and now Blake is staying put to rebuild what’s left of lob city.
Griffin’s immediate commitment to the Clippers is huge, not even meeting with other teams to hear out opportunities. The massive contract Blake’s signing to — averaging out to roughly $35 million per year — was surely one of many enticing factors to lock up the deal as soon as possible.
Blake’s free agency is one of the major dominoes of the summer, closing another big story to watch. With Griffin staying in LA and Paul George traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s all starting to come into focus.