Blake Griffin returns to Nets with 'unfinished business' in mind

Adding former six-time All-Star Blake Griffin following his buyout with the Pistons last March was a "no-brainer" for the Nets even though he was past his super-athletic prime. The 6-9 Griffin became the Nets’ undersized starting center, averaged 10.0 points per game in just 21.5 minutes per game, and set the tone on defense with his willingness to take charges and sacrifice his body.

Following the season, Griffin made it clear he hoped to return, and he did that by signing in free agency for the $2.6 million veterans’ minimum. It certainly helped that he stands to collect the final $29.7 million installment from his Pistons buyout, but Griffin said he had other offers for more money that he declined.

"Just going to make more money or going to a new spot for maybe a bigger role wasn’t really a thing," Griffin said in a media conference call on Thursday. "I know what I can do with this team, I know my role and we still kind of left the season with sort of a bad taste in our mouths."

After the Nets were eliminated in Game 7 of the second round by the eventual NBA champion Bucks, Griffin praised the organization from owner Joe Tsai all the way down through the performance team and support staff.

"Having that experience and knowing what kind of people I’m working with is huge," Griffin said. "So it was a no-brainer for me…We feel like there’s definitely unfinished business. There’s something bigger that we want to achieve, and I still want to be a part of that."

Earlier this week general manager Sean Marks emphasized Griffin’s value beyond how he fits with the Big 3 superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. And during the recent Tokyo Olympics, Durant said he told the organization it was important to bring Griffin back.

"One thing I want to touch on with Blake is behind the scenes," Marks said. "I think you guys all saw what he did on the court, the intangibles that he brought, just the physical presence that he is … the rejuvenation of how he played.

"But it’s really the things in the locker room with Blake, a lot of the things that go on behind the scenes with just who he is. It speaks volumes when a player like that could have easily gone to a multitude of other places and decided, ‘There’s unfinished business here. I want to do something special in Brooklyn.’ To have a guy like that buy in certainly sends the right message to the younger guys and the whole team in general."

Griffin suggested he can be an even more vocal presence this season. "You don’t always want to have coach (Steve) Nash to have to say something, drill something into our heads every time, or the Big 3 because they’re sort of expected to do that," Griffin said. "I thought (departed free agent) Jeff Green was sort of that for the team last year, and that’s something I hope to be able to help out with this year."

Notes & quotes: First-round pick Cam Thomas capped a 31-point effort with a game-tying three-pointer at the end of the first overtime and then hit another three in the sudden-death second overtime to give the Nets (2-1) an 84-81 Summer League victory over the Wizards.

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.