#3: Blake Griffin
The Los Angeles Lakers must hope he does not get traded
The first player that the Los Angeles Lakers should consider signing after they are bought out is Blake Griffin. Griffin would be a very boom or bust type of player on the Los Angeles Lakers. He very well could be a key piece in the playoffs that could be a real difference-maker in the playoffs, or he could be someone that the Lakers are forced to hide on the bench during some of the most important moments and games of the season.
Griffin is not playing another game with the Detroit Pistons until he is traded or bought out.
As a result of this along with the atrocious contract Griffin has, he is basically untradeable. This means that the Detroit Pistons will likely be forced to bite the bullet and buy out Griffin’s contract and allow him to sign with whichever contender he would like.
This would be where the Los Angeles Lakers come into play. Playing back in the city where he lives could be enough for Griffin to revive his career and complete his transformation into a modern-day big.
Fans should not expect the high-flying Griffin that played with the Los Angeles Clippers. Injuries have seemingly killed most of the athleticism that made Griffin such a special player on the Clippers. In fact, Griffin has not dunked in a game since December 12th, 2019.
It is possible that Griffin would have more of a chance to have fast break opportunities along with pick and rolls with LeBron James running the point, however, it should be a concern that Griffin is no longer capable of playing that role.
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It is likely that Griffin would try to make the same adjustments to his game that Anthony Davis did when joining the Lakers. This consists of focusing primarily on improving his outside shooting so his game can better complement the stars like Davis and James.
The biggest questions with Griffin would be how quickly he could improve his jumper if he can still be a lob threat similar to how JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were for the Lakers last season, and if he will play more intense on defense if he is in a winning situation.
Currently, Griffin shoots 31.5% from three this season with the Pistons. It is arguable that he would see the most wide-open three-point attempts of his career if he were to join the Lakers. The question would be if Griffin could knock them down efficiently enough to make him a real threat from outside to defenders.
For a one-year veteran minimum contract, Griffin would be worth the risk to add to the roster. He will be joining the team with a handful of question marks and a lot of things that he will have to prove.