Clippers teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are on track to be two of the top free agents on the market in 2017, but based on how things look right now, there’s no reason that they’d want to leave Los Angeles. After beating the Raptors on Monday night, the Clippers have a league-best 13-2 record, and Paul tells Sam Amick of USA Today that his relationship with Griffin is in a great place.
“Oh, no question (it’s) better now than ever,” Paul told Amick. “Like I’m saying, we both have matured so much, and our communication is amazing right now, so sometimes it takes time. That’s what (happened) with me and BG, and there’s nothing like it right now. We are having some of the most fun that we’ve had in our time together.”
As Amick details, Paul and Griffin have been able to bond over shared experiences, ranging from both having two young children to both being sidelined by injuries during the team’s playoff series against the Trail Blazers last spring. Griffin pointed to some of the team’s postseason disappointments in past seasons as a reason why he and Paul and the Clippers are appreciating their success so far this season.
“Year to year you go through those ups and downs,” Griffin said. “A lot of heartbreak in the playoffs, obviously, well documented, well talked-about everything that we’ve gone through. And some of it has been, for lack of a better word, back luck. Injuries here or there. Some of it has been our own fault, but I think you go through a year like last year, where CP and I both get hurt, and you’re not even really 100 percent to start with, and you cherish these moments, you cherish being a good team. Whether people want to admit it or not, we’re a solid team.”
It will be worth watching Paul, Griffin, and the Clippers this year, since perhaps a turn in the club’s fortunes or another early playoff exit would prompt one or both of them to consider another team in free agency. For now though, all indications are that neither player wants out of the partnership, and that the Clippers are confident about keeping the duo together for the long term.