Jared Dudley on Blake Griffin: ‘He could go to Miami’

Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley believes Blake Griffin’s future lies with either the Los Angeles Clippers or the Miami Heat.

Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley has never been shy to voice his opinion, and an observation he made during a recent interview has piqued the interest of a couple of fan bases.

Speaking to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz on The Basketball Analogy podcast, Dudley was asked about this thoughts on the future of the Los Angeles Clippers, and specifically Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. While stating that he believed the pair would remain with the Clippers, he did bring up the possibility of Griffin parting ways.

A former teammate of Griffin’s in Los Angeles, Dudley explained:

"“He could go to Miami, can be the man….and you’ve got no state (income) tax…but that five-year max contract, you’re going to lose about roughly $30 million.”"

Here Dudley is referring to how the Heat are restricted to offering Griffin a four-year contract, while the Clippers have the advantage in offering Griffin that extra fifth year of a new deal. Dudley then further expanded his comments:

"“My whole thing is – where do you want to live. He lives in LA which he loves, Miami is a good place. Miami is understandable – Pat Riley, they would make the playoffs with him, so that’s the only one I could somewhat see. You’re not going to Dallas… you’re not going to Houston. New York Knicks, you’re not going there.”"

In essence, Dudley here is explaining that the combination of a great lifestyle and a winning culture would represent the main draws for Griffin. With the Heat’s amazing year-round climate and incredible team culture, it’s easy to understand why the Heat represent a very real alternative for Griffin.

This season, Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 34.0 minutes per game. But as has been the case throughout Griffin’s career, injury again reared its ugly head. Firstly, Griffin was sidelined for 18 games midseason after undergoing an arthroscope on his right knee. And for the second postseason in a row, Griffin body neglected him as he suffered a toe injury in the midst of the Clippers’ first round loss to the Utah Jazz.

Despite recently turning just 28, Griffin’s health record is a concern for the Heat front office. Over the last three regular seasons, Griffin has missed a total of 83 games. Still, a talent such as Griffin doesn’t become available every summer. A four-time All-Star and former No.1 overall pick, Griffin is among the most talented players in the league when healthy.

So in terms of playing to his maximum capabilities and leading a team in his own right, Dudley reiterated his belief that the Heat

"“Miami is the only case scenario to be able to do that if he thinks – you know what, I want to be the man of the team.”"

Entering the offseason, the Heat also have some of their own free agents to negotiate with, namely Dion Waiters and James Johnson. Given the financial requirements if the Heat were able to land Griffin, Johnson would certainly be one player unlikely to return.

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But whatever eventuates this summer, the Heat will be comforted in the knowledge that their renowned culture and general standing in the league still resonates strongly given Dudley’s sentiments.