Blake Griffin agrees to buyout contract with Detroit Pistons, making him a free agent

Following quite a while of speculation, the Detroit Pistons’ three-year relationship with Blake Griffin arrived at its authority end on Friday.

The Pistons and Griffin chose a buyout, the Free Press affirmed.

The move was subsequently declared by the group Friday evening. They would not uncover the provisions of the buyout.

The Athletic reports that Griffin offered back $13.3 million of the inexact $75 million he was owed from the Pistons.

“Blake has been a great representative for our franchise and for the city of Detroit,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a released statement. “His work ethic and his approach to the game contributed a lot to our culture. He has been a consummate pro and we wish him continued success. I’m grateful for everything he did for our team and for our community.”

Griffin, who turns 32 on March 16, will turn into an unhindered free specialist after he clears waivers and allowed to pick his next objective. The Lakers, Clippers, Nets, Heat and Warriors are among the groups intrigued by Griffin once he clears waivers.

“Blake’s NBA resume speaks for itself,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said in the statement. “He’s a player I’ve respected for many years from afar and it was great to have the opportunity to coach him here in Detroit. Contending teams will love to have a guy like him in their program, which is an opportunity he deserves at this point of his career, and we wish him the best.”

It’s a lukewarm finish to Griffin’s vocation in Detroit, as the six-time All-Star is amidst a down season in the wake of missing the vast majority of his 2019-20 mission because of left knee medical procedure. In 20 games with the Pistons this season, he found the middle value of 12.3 focuses, 5.2 bounce back and 3.9 helps, shooting 36.5% and 31.5% from 3-point range.

Griffin needs to play for a season finisher competitor while the reconstructing Pistons, 10-26 and rearward in the meeting standings, need to focus on the improvement of their young players. On Feb. 15, the different sides concurred Griffin would be away from the group while they dealt with a goal, either through buyout or trade.

“We wanted to make sure everybody is going in the right direction, and it became clear that Blake wanted to play meaningful games and he’s worked so hard to give some back,” general manager Troy Weaver told the Free Press at the time. “While we want to take care of him and get him in a situation where he can play those meaningful games, play for a contender, it also helps us to continue our restoring and see our other guys and get them opportunities in actual games to help their development.”

Griffin’s performance this season has been a critical decrease from his 2018-19 season, when he arrived at the midpoint of a vocation best 24.5 focuses, 7.5 bounce back, 5.4 helps and acquired third-group All-NBA respects while managing the Pistons to the end of the season games.

“I thank the Pistons organization for working together on an outcome that benefits all involved and I wish the franchise success in the future,” Griffin said in the released statement.

Former Pistons coach and team president Stan Van Gundy exchanged for Griffin in front of the 2018 cutoff time, sending Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and future first-and second-round draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers.

It was something of a Hail Mary move by Van Gundy and proprietor Tom Gores, who needed to carry a star to Detroit. Van Gundy wasn’t around for the season finisher compartment Griffin assisted the Pistons with accomplishing the accompanying season, shot at the finish of the 2017-18 season.

Injuries eventually spelled the finish of Griffin’s career with the Pistons. A gimpy left knee made him miss games late in the 2019 season and the initial two rounds of the first-round arrangement against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. He played the last two games before a home group at Little Caesars Arena, and afterward went underwent surgery after the Pistons were wiped out.

Left knee issues kept on plagueing him the accompanying season, and he went through a medical procedure again in January 2020, finishing his season after 18 games.

While he hasn’t played at his typical level this season, he actually has uphold from Pistons lead trainer Dwane Casey, who accepts he can be a distinction creator for a playoff team.

“He can be a piece to a contending team,” Casey said. “I’ve been with contending teams, and you’d love to have a guy like Blake Griffin on your team.”