An uncharacteristically thin free agent class is headlined by Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin, the latter of whom the Heat should avoid bringing aboard for the future.
This is a pivotal moment in what could be the final chapter for Miami Heat President Pat Riley. As he looks to build a title contending team to make a run at one final Larry O’Brien trophy, Riley and the Heat will spend the next week recruiting and assembling that roster to take the next step after a season that saw them on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Along with Utah forward Gordon Hayward, the other big target linked to the Heat is Blake Griffin and while Hayward will bring a near perfect fit onto the Heat’s roster as currently constituted, the Clippers forward will bring a questionable injury history and playmaking that may not fit within the Heat’s system.
One of the first red flags about Griffin is obviously his injuries. He played 64 games this year (including playoffs where he suffered a plantar plate injury) and just 39 the previous year. Already there are reports that Griffin could be out until December citing that toe injury that ended his season in the midst of a playoff run.
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While Griffin’s injuries could’ve been something team doctors evaluated and deemed acceptable, the fact that he could miss almost two months of the season on the first year of what will more than likely be a max contract should already cause some hesitation. Even when Griffin comes back, the odds that a foot injury leaves him pain free are extremely small. To invest the next five years into a player whose injury will only get worse feels irresponsible.
Given that the Heat just emerged out from under the drama of a big man with medical issues, this doesn’t seem like something they’d want to reenter.
When Griffin is on the floor, he brings an undeniable energy and a playmaking ability on the offensive end that is among the elite players in this game. The Clippers had an offensive rating 10 points better with Griffin on the floor (117) than they did off (107). He, along with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan terrorized defenses with their relentless rim attack (45 percent of Griffin’s FGA came within five feet of the basket).
But what would Griffin be asked to do in Miami? Given the style of play that made them successful in the second half of the year, it looks like the Heat will look to add even more floor spacers to their roster.
Can Griffin fill that need? He shot just 34 percent from 3 last year on a career-high two attempts per game. He was slightly better from the mid-range game, shooting 42 percent during the season but the rest of his shooting numbers fall in the low 30s.
It doesn’t appear likely Griffin can be that stretch four Spoelstra is looking for (one they potentially found for the future in draft pick Bam Adebayo) and playing alongside Hassan Whiteside could prove problematic as the two look to find enough space to coexist. There would be a steep learning curve on the offensive end especially early on.
Compared to more wing-dominant scorers in this free agency class like Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gay and even options like Danilo Gallinari, Griffin doesn’t give the Heat the type of dynamic scoring they seem to be looking for.
While Riley, Spoelstra and the Heat believe they can tweak any part of a player’s game, given Griffin’s injury history and his need to rehab throughout the summer he’ll already come in behind and they may not be able to get to tailoring his game to their system until the summer of 2018.
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For a potentially max contract, this is an investment Riley can’t afford to make for the sake of the team’s future