If the NBA does decide to reinstate its amnesty provision, one top-name player could be a likely casualty of it.
On the “Revisionist History” podcast this week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said that Detroit Pistons big man Blake Griffin was the most prevalent name being mentioned around league circles in connection with the amnesty clause.
“I already can tell you that instantaneously every person I’ve talked to in the league I’ve heard about amnesty, the first name out of their mouth … Blake Griffin,” said Windhorst.
The six-time All-Star Griffin, now 31 years old, has been increasingly hobbled by injuries in recent years and appeared in just 18 games this season before undergoing yet another knee surgery. He is owed $36.6 million next season and holds a $39 million player option for the 2021-22 season.
Bringing back the amnesty clause, which was last present in the NBA’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement, would allow teams to get rid of one unsavory contract without it counting against the salary cap. While Windhorst does also note that the Pistons are not particularly close to the cap line, especially after trading Andre Drummond’s big deal for expiring contracts, a reinstatement of the amnesty provision is a very real possibility being discussed. That makes Griffin a name to watch as a possible amnesty candidate and, by extension, a possible available commodity on the open market.
