He didn’t name the teams, but Blake Griffin told Rich Eisen Tuesday he chose the Nets over three other teams after he and the Pistons agreed on a purchase on Friday.
“In the end, I reduced it to four teams, so all four are great teams and organizations, but as I always say, I tried to make the best decision.” Griffin told Eisen on his Rich Eisen Show, indicating that more than four teams approached him.
“There were definitely other teams. It was not an easy decision at all, but I have known KD, James, DeAndre obviously and Kai for a long time and you always think about playing with different guys. In the end, I just made the decision that I thought was best for me. I’m excited about the opportunity and obviously a great team and I’m happy to be part of the organization. “
Before Griffin signed to Brooklyn, Adrian Wojnarowski named the Warriors, Heat and Trail Blazers as among those with an interest. Others identified the Lakers and Celtics as teams of interest.
When Eisen asked if the “Big Three” Nets and DJ had tried to recruit, Griffin smiled and admitted yes … but claimed that everything was cool.
“Not until the appropriate time because of the adulteration, but I did speak to some of them,” said Griffin. “Of all the teams, I talked to several guys, so, as I said, it was a difficult decision, but I went with what I thought was the best.”
League rules prohibit teams – and players – from recruiting off the list of other teams … although the rules have not been applied often, especially among players.
Griffin said he met Steve Nash and talked about his role, this time noting that he hopes to play in small ball 5, as well as in his traditional role as 4.
“I think they need a 4 and sometimes they play me as a small 5. I am there to help where I can. I think that, at this point in my career, I am able to fit into different roles. My goal is to help this team win like every year, but obviously, the teams I was looking at, there are real chances of doing that, so I thanked all the teams, but I’m excited to be a Network. “
In fact, a Nets fan posted a photo of Griffin and Nash meeting on Tuesday in Rucola, on Barclays Center’s Dean Street.
Nets Nation, a good friend of mine just sent me this photo, taken in Brooklyn today. Lob City answers 7 seconds or less. Spread the love, it’s the Brooklyn way pic.twitter.com/07DCeGEZVN
– Sam Lachow (@SamuelLachow) March 9, 2021
Griffin also shared how his time in Detroit ended.
“They just came up to me and said, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going in a different direction. This is practically a complete reconstruction. This year, they kept Derrick Rose and me and they kind of wanted us from the training camp, mentoring and helping so many young people and so many new ones. They wanted us to be there for that. We did that and Derrick made the decision to try to play for a playoff team and play more minutes somewhere and they honored that. “
Specifically, he described how the Detroit front office informed him of his plans.
“‘We will sit with you for a while, but you can do whatever you want.’ We all thought it was better to let these guys go on and play these young people, what they wanted to do, and work on something that would benefit both of us and move on. I am grateful to that organization. “
Likewise, Troy Weaver, the Pistons GM, told The Athletic that the match was friendly.
“We definitely wanted to exhaust everything,” said Weaver. “We also looked for the trade market to see if we could facilitate something to put him in the situation or destination that he would like, in addition to making it a good situation for us. We do not automatically think or assume that it would be a purchase. We just landed there. It worked for all parties. “
As to whether he could ever have imagined playing with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Jordan, Griffin told Eisen that nothing in the NBA would surprise him.
“Anything can happen, but I think I am inclined to believe it. Anything can happen in this league. Now, we’re here. “