NBA Free Agency: Brooklyn Nets Bring Blake Griffin Back

The Brooklyn Nets were one of a handful of teams searching for low-cost veterans last season as they attempted to build a championship roster around their stars Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.

Like the Philadelphia 76ers, the Nets were on the hunt for a stretch four. Eventually, Brooklyn filled the void by landing Blake Griffin via the buyout market.

As Griffin was in the midst of his fourth season on the Detroit Pistons, the veteran forward couldn't make it more obvious he wanted a fresh start. 20 games into the year, Griffin was putting up career-low numbers as a starter and looked uninterested and disconnected from Detroit.

Eventually, the Pistons shut Griffin down as they sought out a potential trade. When they couldn't find a deal to get done, the Pistons bit the bullet and bought Griffin out of his expensive contract. A few days later, he signed with the Nets.

In Brooklyn, Griffin appeared in 26 regular-season games. Averaging 21 minutes on the floor, he put up 10 points per game while shooting 49-percent from the field and 38-percent from three. Due to injuries, Griffin joined the Nets' starting lineup full-time in the playoffs, seeing his minutes increase to 26 MPG.

Griffin was a reliable contributor for Brooklyn in the playoffs as he averaged nine points while draining a postseason career-high of 53-percent of his shots from the field. Griffin might not be the standout star he once was during his early days with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Pistons, but he proved to be a solid veteran role player on a team that's built to contend for a championship.

Therefore, the Nets brought him back. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Griffin will return to Brooklyn on a one-year deal for next season. While the chances of the Sixers inking Griffin were slim, to begin with, his return to Brooklyn confirms there won't be a Doc Rivers-Blake Griffin reunion in Philadelphia, where they could've used a reliable veteran backup stretch four.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.