The Rockets have reached a buyout agreement with forward AJ Griffin, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
Reporting last week indicated that Griffin was “seriously considering” the possibility of stepping away from basketball and that the Rockets were preparing for his departure from the sport. The buyout agreement between the two sides will allow Griffin to sit out the 2024/25 season while weighing whether or not he wants to continue his career beyond that, a source tells Feigen.
The 16th overall pick of the 2022 draft and the son of longtime NBA assistant and former Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin, AJ Griffin had a promising rookie season with the Hawks, averaging 8.9 points per game with a .465/.390/.894 shooting line in 72 contests (19.5 MPG).
However, he missed time due to leg and ankle issues and personal reasons in 2023/24 and didn’t play much when he was available, averaging just 8.6 minutes per contest in 20 appearances. The former Duke Blue Devil’s scoring numbers cratered to 2.4 PPG on 29.0% shooting, including 25.6% on three-point attempts.
The Rockets attempted to buy low on Griffin earlier this offseason, trading the No. 44 pick to Atlanta in exchange for the 21-year-old. That transaction was eventually turned into a three-team deal that saw Atlanta move up to No. 43, flipping No. 44 and cash to Miami.
The Rockets had reportedly long been interested in Griffin, and in July he expressed excitement about having a fresh start with Houston. But his struggles continued in Summer League, where he shot just 38.2% from the field, including 28.0% from beyond the arc, in a setting where former first-round picks with multiple years of NBA experience typically thrive.
According to Feigen, the buyout agreement between Griffin and the Rockets is worth $250K. It’s unclear whether that means the forward is giving up $250K, slightly reducing his $3.89MM cap hit for 2024/25, or giving up nearly his entire salary and leaving Houston with a cap charge of just $250K. We’ll have to wait for the official details to confirm the specific numbers.
Griffin’s rookie scale contract included a $5.97MM team option for 2025/26. That option will be declined automatically when Houston places him on waivers.
The move opens up a spot on Houston’s projected 15-man regular season roster. The club doesn’t have to carry a 15th man to open the season, but has more than enough breathing room below the luxury tax line to accommodate a minimum-salary signing.
This will not happen in today’s NBA, but CBA should limit absences for personal reasons. We have had a number of players miss extended time in the last ten years.
Teams should give players some finite number of games off for personal reasons and then require them to play or be in breach of contract. Some players have abused this privilege and it needs to be reined in.
Hopefully Griffin can figure things out and return to basketball.
Why should it be limited? If it’s abused the player should be heavily fined. If not, if a player walks away for anything other than childbirth or a death in the family, they should simply have their salary docked for days missed. Simple.
Players aren’t just sitting at home bc they feel like it.
Ah yes, let’s crack down on
-Jrue Holiday, whose pregnant wife had cancer.
-Andrew Wiggins, who was being there for his dying father.
-R.J. Barrett, due to the death of his brother.
-Willie Cauley-Stein, who checked himself into rehab.
Hopefully you can get over yourself and recognize these are people and not video game avatars.
Fun fact, the NBA already instituted such a measure, which is why Harden reported to camp last season.
Preach.
Of note: If the Rockets talk Griffin into reducing his salary to 250K, they can pay all of it now instead of over three years. This is not the same as the stretch provision of his cap hit, as the deadline for that was August 31.
He has the talent to be a player for a long time. I get your heart is not in it. You only get 10 yrs or so. In this sport. I guess I’m old. But ten yrs goes by quickly lols.