Blake Griffin appears to be heading back to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Moments after reports emerged saying Griffin had cancelled his free agent meetings with Phoenix and Denver, word came out that Griffin and the Clippers finalized a five-year, $173 million deal.
The Vertical’s Shams Charania first reported the news:
Blake Griffin plans to reach agreement on a five-year, $173 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2017
Griffin finished meeting with the Clippers and sides finalized a five-year, maximum contract, league sources tell The Vertical. https://t.co/MjYJjY4wKf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2017
The LA Times’ Brad Turner says Griffin met Friday with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, new team advisor Jerry West, and head coach Doc Rivers. Things went well, which helped sway Griffin to remain with the team.
Apparently several players were in attendance.
Clippers Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan, Pat Beverley, Wes Johnson, Sam Dekker were at meeting at Staples Center, per source.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) July 1, 2017
Even though the Clippers are losing Chris Paul to the Rockets, they are not tearing things down completely and will have Griffin back. That means they will probably hang onto DeAndre Jordan as well, who has been viewed as a trade candidate.
