Blake Griffin ‘signs with Boston Celtics’ as team bolsters depth after Danilo Gallinari injury

Blake Griffin has reportedly signed with the Celtics after spending the past two seasons with the Nets, adding to the depth of Boston’s frontcourt as the team looks set to take it one step further than his NBA Finals appearance last season.

The contract is a fully guaranteed one-year deal, according to ESPN.

Griffin joined the Nets in the 2020-21 season after agreeing to a buyout with the Pistons, and was instrumental in the ensuing postseason when Brooklyn fell to the Bucks in the second round.

Griffin provided valuable energy for the Nets when called upon, with 26 charges in 2021-22

But Griffin found it harder to get playing time last season, logging 25 DNPs and playing a career low of 17.1 minutes per game, as he often came out of Coach Steve Nash’s rotation.

After being in the Nets’ first two playoff games against the Celtics last year, Griffin was deployed in the third quarter of Game 3 as Nash tried to save the flagging team’s season.

Griffin scored eight points in that game (including two-three pointers) in under eight minutes to bring the Nets to life, but Brooklyn ended up losing the game before being eliminated in Game 4.

The six-time All Star will provide welcome depth to a Celtics side that has seen two players sidelined in the frontcourt this offseason.

Danilo Gallinari out for the season after hurting himself in FIBA ​​World Cup qualifiers

Sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL playing for Italy after signing for Boston this summer, and Robert Williams will be out 8-12 weeks after knee surgery last week.

Williams previously suffered knee problems during the postseason when the Celtics made a flight to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Warriors in six games.

Griffin is slated to play a supporting role for the Celtics, but they hope he will bring energy to the court when he is called up after leading the league together in the draws last season.