Report: Blake Griffin Was Told by Celtics Player Not to Join BOS Due to 'Dysfunction'

All is not well in the Boston Celtics locker room.

When Blake Griffin was choosing a team to join this season after his buyout from the Detroit Pistons, he reportedly "asked a Celtics player if he should join the team midseason and was told not to come to Boston because of the apparent dysfunction," per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

It's not terribly surprising that all might not be well in Boston after a talented roster managed to go just 36-36 this season and was unceremoniously defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Brooklyn Nets in five games.

Boston also wasted little time shaking up the roster, reportedly dealing Kemba Walker and two draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for former Celtics big man Al Horford, Moses Brown and a pick.

After the season, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge retired, former head coach Brad Stevens replaced him and the team began the search for a new head coach.

One of the locker room issues was between Walker and Stevens, as Weiss reported their relationship was "tension-filled" and "Stevens was also perceived to be harder on Walker than on other top players."

The team's defense was worse than it was in seasons prior, with Weiss noting Marcus Smart "was alone in trying to establish that accountability."

Weiss also wrote "the Celtics' culture of competition is eroding—with more than one source pointing to the players' perceived indifference toward Kyrie Irving stomping on the Celtics logo after the final home game of the season as a red flag they did not exhibit the same sense of pride in the organization that has been the Celtics' calling card in years past."

Suffice to say, changes are needed. That apparently played a part in keeping Griffin away from the Celtics. Granted, he landed a pretty big role in a good situation with the Nets, who will play the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday night.