#3 Blake Griffin
During their existence in OKC, few Thunder players have been from Oklahoma, Blake Griffin could soon be added to the short-list if the Thunder are interested. While Griffin’s performance on the hardwood may be declining, Griffin still holds value in the league, not as much on the floor, but in a mentor-ship role with OKC’s young core. Griffin provided the Celtics with spot minutes here and there, and he would transition into the same role with the OKC Thunder.
One under-looked aspect is his professionalism and philanthropy efforts, Sam Presti has often mentioned how the organization targets people first, before players; this has been a slightly controversial approach; however, I think it is refreshing in multiple ways.
Griffin appeared in 41 games, or approximately half the year for the Celtics this past season, including 16 starts. The Celtics went 10-6 in games Griffin started, proving he can still be useful, or at least not too hampering, if a situation arises where Griffin would need to move into the Thunder’s starting lineup.
Moreover, the Thunder have a roster logjam, and Coach Daigneault is going to have a tough job ahead of him, making sure the correct players see appropriate playing time. Because Griffin has already seen a reduced role in recent years, he should in theory slide into a third-string role on the Thunder flawlessly. Perhaps, he could even help some of OKC’s youth see the value of staying ready from a player’s perspective and provide some valuable veteran wisdom along the way. Though, there likely is not enough juice to justify the squeeze here.