Blake Griffin: Why He Could Be a Laker Soon Enough

Of all the young prospects in the league today, there are few more promising than Blake Griffin. ESPN puts him in the Top 10 after just his rookie season.

Whether or not that’s too high is up for debate, but just the fact that it’s being debated shows just how incredible this kid has become.

And this is just the beginning.

However, there is one obstacle in Griffin’s career that even he may not be able to overcome: his team.

Now I don’t like knocking the Clippers, mainly because I think they might have what it takes to turn the franchise around. However, one cannot ignore the pattern that has been going on for almost 30 years. The team seems to have a knack for letting talent go.

Sure, Sterling might change his ways now that he has a true franchise talent, but it is also likely that the team will continue it’s frugal ways and the team will struggle to reach new heights.

For a young man like Griffin, there is only so much he can do before becoming impatient. Certainly he will not become upset if the team loses next season, but what about the season after that? Let’s jump ahead to 2013.

Hypothetically, Blake Griffin could sign a one-year qualifying offer with the Clippers, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent the very next season. Now, many players would prefer not to do this, as it puts them at risk of not getting a nice big contract the next season should they get injured, but in Griffin’s case it may be the right decision.

Should Blake Griffin decide to become an unrestricted free agent in 2014, there will be a few very interesting suitors.

One of them is the Los Angeles Lakers.

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Lakers will not have a single current player under contract in 2014. And if they know that Blake Griffin will be a free agent in the summer of 2014, they may want to hold off on extending Gasol’s or Kobe’s contracts.

Most likely the team will look to resign Kobe to a smaller contract, but they may very well let Gasol go, especially if they're able to land Mr. Griffin.

Why would Griffin go to the Lakers? Why wouldn’t he?

He would get to stay in Los Angeles, play for one of the greatest franchises in all of sports and get to play along side an aging legend in Bryant who will be more than happy to play along a player of Griffin’s talent.

I imagine Kobe in 2014 being ready to play to role of Shaq to Griffin’s Wade. Not to mention the Lakers would probably be able to re-sign Andrew Bynum who will be just 27 years old. Now that is a team primed to compete for the title for years to come.

Will this scenario go down for sure?

No one knows, but Lakers’ fans ought to keep a watchful eye on the Clippers progress over the next few years. Their struggles could mean big gains for the Lakers.