If the Clippers trade Blake Griffin, they’ll be selling low on damaged goods.
That’s at least what one executive not with the Clippers wants you to believe.
Griffin injured his quad on Christmas, played in the playoffs knowing he could aggravate the injury, aggravated the injury, received bone-marrow treatment and will miss the Olympics.
The sequence obviously damaged the Clippers’ playoff run and kept a good player off Team USA. But how significant will it be going forward?
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald:But, according to one opposing team exec, there is another question with Griffin.
“I still think there’s a concern with his leg,” he said, referring to a partially torn left quad tendon that cost Griffin serious time last season and never fully healed before causing him to miss the end of the playoffs. He reportedly received a bone marrow injection following the season, which is keeping him off the U.S. Olympic team.
“We looked into him, and we’re hearing that’s a pretty serious thing,” the source continued. “I’m not saying you don’t go after him, but you’d better be really sure about that leg before you go making any big commitments.”
Griffin can and likely will opt out of his contract next summer. So -- whether it’s the Clippers or another team -- managing his future is tricky. If he gets healthy and plays well next season, you still have to sign him as an unrestricted free agent. If his injury derails him, the situation becomes even more potentially hazardous.
This might be someone just trying to drive down demand, either from the Clippers in a trade or Griffin in 2017 free agency. But the chance that this is honest insight from a team that extensively researched Griffin makes this report interesting.