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Summary
After looking like a shell of his former self, Griffin was bought out by the Pistons and signed a minimum contract with the Nets, where he has looked like he can be a legitimate, albeit flawed, role player.

Although Griffin has lost some athleticism, he has come a long way with his skill development since his early seasons in the league, and he showed that with the Nets. On offense, Griffin can facilitate from the mid-post and act as a pick-and-pop threat.

On defense, Griffin doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend in space, and even at his peak athletically he was never a great rim protector. However, Griffin defended Giannis Antetokounmpo decently in the playoffs, and was able to use his strength be a stout defender.
 
Cap Considerations
Griffin will be an unrestricted free agent with a $1.7 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. This means that the highest starting salary the Nets could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is $3.2 million. Alternatively, the Nets could use their Mid-Level Exception to re-sign Griffin if he demands more than $3.2 million.

If Griffin demands a starting salary of more than the full $9.5 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him. It is possible that Griffin could be had for the full MLE or less.

Potential Teams: Nets, Heat, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $3.2 million with the Nets

Actual Contract: 1-year, $2.6 million ($1.7 million cap hit) with the Nets

Many people thought the Nets would need to give Griffin their Taxpayer MLE to re-sign him. I expected they would use their Taxpayer MLE elsewhere but still give him the most they could using Non-Bird Rights. Instead, Griffin signed for just the minimum, saving the Nets some luxury tax money.

Last updated: 8/17/2021

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