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Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin has let team officials know that he intends to sign a five-year contract extension this month, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Saturday.

Griffin can't officially sign the extension until July 11, but negotiations between the team and his representatives are not expected to turn into a drawn-out process, sources said, as no player coming off a rookie-scale contract who is eligible and was offered the maximum contract extension has passed on it.

The Clippers can't officially offer Griffin an extension until after 9 p.m. PT Saturday. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, team president Andy Roeser likely will make the first call to Griffin's representatives shortly after 9 p.m. to offer the extension.

Griffin could earn as much as $95 million over the course of the five-year extension if he is voted an All-Star starter again or named to a second All-NBA team next season under the so-called "Derrick Rose Rule" in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Griffin's extension would begin with the 2013-14 season. He would be able to opt-out of the final season of the contract, but is otherwise committed to the franchise through 2018.

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Los Angeles

Blake Griffin agrees to extension with Clippers, Chris Paul waits

As expected, the Clippers offered extensions to All-Stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul on Saturday night when the free-agency period during which teams can negotiate with free agents and offer extensions to players. Contracts, which can be agreed upon, can't be signed until July 11.

And as expected, Griffin agreed to his five-year extension worth up to $95 million and Paul didn’t accept his three-year extension for $60 million, according to sources who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Griffin, who is locked up for the next six years, will earn $7.2 million next season.

Paul, who will earn $17.7 million next season, is in the last year of his contract. He is waiting to sign an extension after next season, which is a better financial decision, said a source close to the point guard.

Paul can sign a five-year, $108-million extension with the Clippers in July 2013.

Brad Turner, Los Angeles Times

Griffin, Clippers Agree To $95M Extension
Jul 10, 2012 1:31 PM EDT


Blake Griffin and the Clippers have formally agreed to a five-year, $95 million super-max extension.

While a deal was expected to be done, it wasn't formally complete until Tuesday morning.

Via Ken Berger/CBS Sports (via Twitter)


Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/22 ... z20F9DZpl3

CLIPPERS SIGN BLAKE GRIFFIN TO CONTRACT EXTENSION

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed All-Star forward Blake Griffin to a multi-year contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

After averaging 20.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 66 games played last season, Griffin was named to the NBA's 2012 All-NBA Second Team. Griffin led the Clippers in points, rebounds, field goals made and attempted, free throws attempted and minutes while playing every game last season. Griffin was the only player in the NBA last season to average 20+ points, 10.5+ rebounds and 3.0+ assists and was one of only two players in the league (Dwight Howard) during the 2011-12 campaign to average 20+ points, 10.5+ rebounds and shoot at least 54 percent from the field.

Griffin's standout season helped the Clippers finish the year as the fifth seed in the 2012 Western Conference Playoffs and win their First Round matchup against the fourth seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Griffin averaged 18.0 points and 6.4 rebounds during the Clippers seven game series against the Grizzlies, which culminated with a stunning Game Seven Clippers' victory in Memphis. Los Angeles would eventually fall to the top seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Semi-Finals.

Griffin turned in one of the most prolific rookie campaigns in NBA history in 2010, averaging 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 38.0 minutes in 82 games (82 starts). The unanimous winner of the 2010-11 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Award, Griffin became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to be voted by the coaches as a reserve on the All-Star team. Griffin was the lone unanimous selection to the 2010-11 NBA All-Rookie First Team and was also the winner of the Sprite Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

The first overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft out of the University of Oklahoma, Griffin, along with Clippers' teammate Chris Paul, was recently named by USA Basketball as a nominee for the 12-man U.S. Olympic Team men's basketball roster which will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London beginning on July 29th.

Clippers.com

GRIFFIN'S COMMITMENT TO CLIPPERS AN UNPRECEDENTED STEP

Blake Griffin has committed to the Clippers for at least another five seasons.

Let that sink in.

When the clock read 9:01 p.m. PST Wednesday night in Las Vegas, where the superstar forward is training in preparation for his first Olympic Games, Clippers President Andy Roeser and Director of Player Personnel Gary Sacks were on hand to quietly secure Griffin's signature on a new contract. The extension does not kick in until Griffin’s rookie deal expires at the end of the upcoming season, meaning he'll remain a face of the franchise through 2017-18 or beyond.

It's symbolic that the team still keeps the winning ping-pong balls from the draft lottery in a display case at their training facility in Playa Vista. So much so that Griffin will likely be responsible for adding to the hardware someday soon.

From a numbers perspective, Griffin, a two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection, is already carving a path to greatness. However, he's also become an ambassador for the new-look Clippers, proving that work ethic, toughness, and resolve are part of what makes a winner. He trains relentlessly, running sand dunes with weight vests, keeping to a meticulous diet, and was among the first players back in the gym after the team's ride through the Western Conference playoffs was cut short by the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. In 11 postseason games, he played through a knee sprain, hard fouls, and a tooth that gashed through his upper lip. He's marketable, good natured, and humble. In three years since he was drafted, he's been steadfast from a character standpoint as much as his skill level, giving the Clippers reason to build around him.

On Tuesday, the point guard offered his teammate congratulations. "Blake absolutely deserves it [the extension] with what he's done for this franchise—that can't be matched," Paul said. "I'm happy for him."

Eric Patten, Clippers.com