Does Blake Griffin make sense for the Celtics if he gets bought out?

As you’ve probably heard, the Pistons have decided to move on from Blake Griffin. (via ESPN)

Six-time NBA All-Star forward Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons have agreed that he will be out of the lineup until the franchise and his representatives work through a resolution on his playing future, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver told ESPN.

The Pistons will continue to pursue trade scenarios involving Griffin, and talks on a contract buyout with his agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, could eventually come into focus.

With Blake’s name recognition, the obvious question comes up. Does Blake Griffin make sense for the Boston Celtics?

First, let’s address the option of trading for Blake. No. Let’s just move on.

Second, let’s look at the more realistic option of adding Griffin if/when he gets bought out by the Pistons. It would likely be for the Vet minimum or perhaps the bi-annual exception and would require creating a roster spot (there are candidates that could be released or traded for nothing but a heavily protected pick).

I will say that offensively it might have some upside. Defensively though, ...yeesh.

The folks at the Athletic weighed in on what he has left in the tank, and Hollinger provided perhaps the most optimistic viewpoint of the group:

You’re basically hoping he can give you a decent 15 minutes as a fourth forward, using his shooting, ballhandling and general basketball IQ to offset the fact that he can’t jump anymore. (Seriously. Dude has two blocks and zero dunks in 626 minutes.) Also, this insight depends on the “shooting” part coming back since he’s at 31.5 percent from 3 this year.

The big worry is what to do with him at the defensive end, since he can’t jump enough to protect the rim but opponents also are hunting him out on the perimeter. Again, you’re hoping that hiding him in bench units can offset some of the carnage. Unless for some reason you think your performance staff can get more out of him than Detroit’s did, but I’m not sure why any team would think that.

Long story short, don’t think of the Blake Griffin from the Clippers. Don’t even think of 50% of Blake Griffin from the Clippers. Think more along the line of Shaq on the Celtics (from a production standpoint, not stylistically).

Is that worth a flyer on a cheap contract? Is he a step up from the players already on the roster? Up for debate.