Blake Griffin has reportedly made his decision, and the choice is sure to garner headlines, but will it move the market significantly?
Not so far.
The Athletic reported Sunday that Griffin is set to clear waivers and will sign with the Brooklyn Nets.
Blake Griffin has cleared free agency waivers and the six-time NBA All-Star is expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2021
In wake of the news, Superbook was one of the few books to move the Nets' title odds from +275 to +250, making them the league favorite.
New title odds at @SuperBookSports with Blake Griffin on his way to the Nets, per @golfodds.
Nets 5/2
Lakers 11/4
Clippers 11/2
Jazz 13/2
Bucks 12/1
76ers 16/1
Suns 25/1— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 7, 2021
The Nets have seen their title odds shorten month by month, as seen by these odds from DraftKings provided to Action Network's Darren Rovell:
Both PointsBet and BetMGM elected to make no changes following the addition of Griffin, which had been expected for some time.
Making sense of what the signing means for Brooklyn is a complicated endeavor. On the one hand, Griffin's injuries have decimated his career. He's played just 35 games the last two seasons and has routinely appeared bereft of the athleticism that has defined his career.
But in the latter part of his career, Griffin evolved to be a more complete player. Two years ago in his first season (after being banished to) in Detroit, he averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 53 percent from 2-point range and 36 percent from 3.
The Nets' addition of Griffin is confusing on the surface. He doesn't address their primary issues of rim protection, and asking him to pose as a gravity well at the rim on lobs at this stage at his career is asking for further injury.
However, Griffin brings more to the table if you consider the kind of team the Nets are building. They play fast and are largely isolation centric with their three stars (James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving). The Nets have found recent success by going smallball with Jeff Green. Griffin represents an upgrade on Green from a playmaking standpoint.
The Nets can run more short roll with Griffin than Green, getting Griffin in space while the defense is forced to double one of the three dangerous ball-handlers. Griffin's passing helps unlock more options to get to one of the three other threats or to pure shooter Joe Harris.
Griffin can also help with the Nets' bench, which ranks 16th in net rating per NBA.com.
League insiders still consider the Nets the favorite to add Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, either through a trade or a buyout following the trade deadline, with Drummond an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Nets, 24-13 entering the All-Star Break and just a half-game behind the Sixers for the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, resume the season Thursday vs. Boston. Kevin Durant has missed several weeks with a hamstring injury and is expected to be re-evaluated after the break.
