Blake Griffin will not be a member of the Boston Celtics this season. Not after the team acquired Xavier Tillman at the February 8 trade deadline, according to MassLive's Brian Robb.
"Technically, the Celtics still have an open roster spot available so the door likely remains open for Griffin if he has a change of heart," Robb prefaced before saying, "However, the acquisition of Tillman likely signals that the team does not anticipate Griffin returning this year for one more run."
Robb shared Payton Pritchard's outreach to Griffin to recruit him back to the Cs for another run during the 2023-24 season.
“I texted him actually a week ago or two jokingly being like, ‘Coming back for one last ride?’ He says he’s enjoying his life,” Pritchard said during the February 26 edition of Pardon My Take, which also featured Derrick White.
Blake Griffin sees Boston Celtics as NBA Championship favorite
Griffin shared that the Celtics were his title favorites during the PMT appearance when he was called by host Dan "Barstool Big Cat" Katz.
“They’re my favorites,” Griffin said of Boston’s title chances. “I don’t guarantee, I don’t want to put bad juju on them but they are the heavy favorites in my mind.”
Could Griffin be a biased observer? Naturally, yes. After a year with the Celtics, Griffin is sold on Boston being a great city to play basketball professionally in.
“Boston is unbelievable,” Griffin said. “Living in Boston, playing in Boston was, like, one of the best experiences. Dude, the fans are incredible. Having a team that is so championship-focused. One of the best parts is the players on that team are just like such a great group of guys.”
A Griffin return, unlike one for say, Isaiah Thomas, would be a natural segue for the current roster. While Brad Stevens has brought in a lot of new faces -- Tillman, Jaden Springer, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday, to name a few -- since Griffin was last a Celtic, most of the team's core has played with him; and seemingly, everyone enjoyed his presence.
The Houdini's take on a Griffin-Cs reunion: who says no?