A pair of Celtics guards recently expressed their wish for Blake Griffin to return to Boston’s squad.
It turns out that Joe Mazzulla was also interested in retaining the six-time NBA All-Star.
Griffin was a popular among Celtics players and fans during the 2022-23 season, which saw Boston fall one win short of a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. The 34-year-old did not return to the C’s this season, much to the disappointment of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. On the most recent episode of Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast, White and Pritchard discussed how they “begged” Griffin to return to the team, but to no avail.
Mazzulla was queried by reporters Monday afternoon about the Celtics’ interest in Griffin and why it stalled.
“When he told me at the end of last year that his family was the most important thing, I stopped talking to him about it because I know what it’s like to be away from your kids and family,” Mazzulla told reporters, as reported by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
Griffin seemed to be satisfied with his decision to emphasize family time, telling “Pardon My Take” that he has been “enjoying life” since leaving the game. As a result, White, Pritchard, and the rest of the Celtics will most likely have to rely on Griffin’s backing from a distance.
