3. Blake Griffin to the Brooklyn Nets: One year, $2.64 million
When Blake Griffin was bought out by the Detroit Pistons last season I petitioned for the Los Angeles Lakers to sign him. Sure, he did not look great, but he was also playing for nothing in Detroit and still had one of the best seasons of his entire career just two years earlier in 2019.
Griffin ultimately signed with the Brooklyn Nets and it was an investment that seemingly paid off. Sure, they did not make the NBA Finals because of injuries (like the Lakers), but Griffin played solid basketball for them as one of the better buyout signings in recent memory.
Griffin is giving it another go in Brooklyn on a veteran minimum deal, which is wild. Griffin is absolutely worth more than the veteran minimum and he does still have gas in the tank. Heck, PJ Tucker got $15 million for pretending to be a good defender on Kevin Durant in the playoffs. Griffin at the minimum is a steal.
The Nets got a solid 10 and 5 out of him in 20 minutes per game last season and we will likely see that production tick up a notch this upcoming season. Even if it stays at that level, that is solid production for the cheapest contract you can sign.
He is obviously fine financially from that buyout with Detroit as he is entering the ring-chasing portion of his career, perhaps earlier than we could have expected. He is a bit older than the no. 2 and no. 1 value signing, which puts him slightly below.