Could The Miami Heat Look To Sign This Former All-Star Forward?
Drafted first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Blake Griffin burst onto the scene in the NBA as an athletic, high-flying forward. Making the All-Star Game each of the first five seasons he played, Griffin was one of the better frontcourt players in the league from 2010-2018.
Since then though, knee injuries have slowed Griffin down tremendously and he is no longer the All-Star player he once was.
Playing with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, Griffin has since drawn some attention again simply because of his high understanding for the game and defensive instincts. His ability to draw charges and stretch the floor offensively is what makes him an intriguing bench option still, which is why the Miami Heat could show some interest in him.
The Heat currently find themselves having an open roster spot ahead of training camp and right now, they really do not have any options at the power forward position.
Bam Adebayo, Omer Yurtseven and Dewayne Dedmon are all pure centers, so the Heat likely will not look to move any of the three over to the power forward spot, which leaves the team with Jimmy Butler and rookie Nikola Jovic as their only other options at this forward spot.
Butler could definitely end up being the team’s starting “4-man” with P.J. Tucker now in Philadelphia, but he would be an undersized power forward and the Heat would much likely prefer to have him at the small forward position if possible.
Adding Blake Griffin does not solve all of the Heat’s problems in terms of their depth at this position, but it would allow Butler to move back to his normal spot on the wing over the course of a game and it would give Miami some more length in their rotations.
Should they end up having Jimmy Butler consistently play the power forward position, the Heat would be giving up a lot of length, which could possibly result in them being a less effective defensive team compared to what they were a season ago.
Defense is this team’s identity and while he would not play more than 20-plus minutes a game, Blake Griffin can supply the Heat with an energetic burst off-the-bench.
Not having Tucker is going to be a big loss for the Heat and while they could experiment with having a double big man lineup with Bam Adebayo and either Omer Yurtseven or Dewayne Dedmon on the court together, it makes a lot more sense for them to add a true power forward with their 15th roster spot.
Maybe the Heat will look to bring back Markieff Morris, who spent the 2021-22 season with them, but it is definitely hard to overlook Blake Griffin’s name in free agency right now.
He is an experienced, former All-Star that understands his role late in his career, which is why exploring the possibility of signing Griffin is something the Miami Heat should do.
