The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to get as much value as they can from Jerami Grant as they’re in rebuild mode, but finding the right trade partner might not be as easy as it looks.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been identified as one of the top suitors for Jerami Grant, and according to reports, the Portland Trail Blazers are asking for multiple first-rounders to acquire the 10-year veteran.
Jerami Grant is coming off a robust 2023-24 campaign for the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point range in 54 regular season games.
Grant has seen numbers improve year by year after entering the NBA as a role player in 2014-15. He was second in the Most Improved Player of the Year voting in 2020-21 as a member of the Detroit Pistons before joining the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022-23 via trade.
NBA exec sounds off on Portland Trail Blazers Joe Cronin for his trade demands for Jerami Grant
At first glance, getting a guy like Jerami Grant sounds ideal because of his elite two-way play, but an anonymous NBA scout believes that the Los Angeles Lakers should not take the Portland Trail Blazers’ bait.
“Joe Cronin asking for two first-rounders for Jerami Grant is hilarious,” the scout said via Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily. “Portland traded one first for him and then gave him that terrible contract. Why would he be more valuable now than he was when they landed him two years ago? But it’s what you can do when you feel like the other team is desperate.”
To his point, Jerami Grant is slated to earn at least $32 million in the next two seasons, and he has a $36.4 million player option in the summer of 2028 by the time he turns 33. Simply put, the Los Angeles Lakers cannot pay that much for a guy who will be the third option behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
