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NBA veteran Blake Griffin is still mulling his options ahead of the 2023-24 season, one of which appears to be retirement.
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said this week that he was interested in bringing Griffin back for another season with the franchise, but the six-time All-Star is considering retirement, per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Stevens said at ABCD Hoop Dreams:
“I’m not blowing smoke, it was as good as it gets. He was unbelievable when he played and even better when he didn’t. He has a fan for life from everybody in our organization. You know, if he decides to keep playing, he wants to come back out East, he knows we’re a phone call away.”
Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported on Sept. 5 that Griffin returning to Boston in 2023-24 “appears unlikely” as he was considering his options.
Griffin signed with the Celtics ahead of the 2022-23 season after spending a season-and-a- half with the Brooklyn Nets. He proved to be a solid veteran presence both on the floor and in the locker room.
The 34-year-old averaged 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 41 regular-season games while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from deep. He only appeared in one playoff game before the Celtics were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
During an appearance on the Fore Play podcast (h/t Jesse Cinquini of Inside The Celtics) last month, Griffin spoke highly of his time with the Celtics, saying that “Boston is unbelievable” and playing in the city “was like one of the best experiences.”
However, the veteran might not think returning to the Celtics in a minimal role in 2023-24 is worth it, which is understandable at this stage in his career.
Boston enters this season as the main competitor to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference, and while Griffin would add to the team’s title hopes, there’s not much choice the franchise has if he intends to move on.
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