Why Blake Griffin turned down Celtics’ standing offer before retirement

Although the 35-year-old was past his prime in Beantown, ex-teammates Derrick White and Payton Pritchard wanted him to play for the C’s again. Griffin admitted that he mulled over the idea and even talked to Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens about it, however, he ultimately decided against it, per the Pardon My Take podcast.

“I kind of left it open for a while,” Griffin said. “I did kind of have a standing offer to go back to Boston and I remember when the end of December hit, and I called Brad Stevens and I was like, ‘Man, I really appreciate it.’ And I had communication with him the whole time. I just wasn’t there man, something changed. And I knew when something changed that it was time to be done.”

Having more time with his family and children was an important factor in Griffin’s retirement. Plus, he realized that if he did don the green and white once more, he wasn’t sure how much he’d be able to contribute.

“If I had gone anywhere I’d go back to Boston. I love those guys and I’m pulling for them and they have a great shot. It was just time for me to be done. I wouldn’t be able to give what I should give to a team.”

On the Celtics, Griffin averaged 13.9 minutes and 4.1 points per outing through 41 regular season games. He was nowhere near his peak in Boston, yet he offered veteran leadership and was a great presence in the Celtics’ locker room.

Looking back at Blake Griffin’s storied career

NBA pundits and other media members don’t always look as fondly at players who never won a ring (just ask Shaquille O’Neal). But, that shouldn’t be the case with Blake Griffin.

Even though the Oklahoma native never made the NBA Finals, he was a show-stopping athlete who helped resurrect the Los Angeles Clippers during the renowned Lob City era.

Then in Detroit, he bounced back from injury woes and averaged a career-high 24.5 points per game during the 2018-19 season. A lot of people had written him off at that point, yet Griffin was able to reinvent his game and lead the Pistons to a playoff berth.

Once he was bought out by Detroit, Griffin had some opportunities for postseason glory with the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. Those teams came up short for a variety of reasons, but Griffin was a constant positive off the bench.

If the former No. 1 overall pick never sustained multiple knee injuries, there’s no telling what the ceiling would’ve been for him. Griffin dealt with health issues in college, the preseason before his rookie year, and in the later seasons of his career as well. Despite all that, he did his best to build up every franchise he was a part of.