Possible Trade Destinations For Pistons Forward Jerami Grant
The Detroit Pistons are preparing for the 2022 NBA Draft right now given that they own the fifth overall selection, but a key talking point of their offseason will revolve around forward Jerami Grant.
At the trade deadline this past season, Grant was a name popping up a lot in trade discussions and the Pistons fielded multiple calls and offers from teams around the league inquiring about him.
Ultimately, GM Troy Weaver and the Pistons elected to keep the 28-year-old forward, meaning that he is now entering the final year of his contract with the team. While he does have a strong relationship with members of Detroit’s front-office, including Weaver, Grant is still a very likely name to be traded this offseason simply because of how the Pistons are building their team.
There is no doubt that Jerami Grant could continue to be the leader of this younger team, but being in the final year of his contract and set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, it is hard to imagine that his long-term future is going to be in Detroit.
Since joining the Pistons, Grant has averaged 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and has shot 42.8% from the floor en route to having the two best years of his career. Grant is in the prime of his career right now, which is why the Pistons can get the most value for him right now should they look to trade him in the offseason.
The Pistons having interest in trading and taking calls on potential Jerami Grant oriented trades is not news whatsoever, as they have been doing so for the last several months, but now ESPN’s Jonathan Givony is reporting ahead of this year’s draft that there is a wide expectation Grant gets moved over the course of the offseason.
Looking to continue building for the future and put young pieces around last year’s No. 1 overall pick in Cade Cunningham, a trade involving Grant could come as soon as next Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Maybe a trade will happen a little later in the offseason closer to free agency, but with Jerami Grant’s name continuing to pop up in trade rumors around the league, here are some of the teams that are and could be pursuing the now eight-year veteran.
Portland Trail Blazers
Moving CJ McCollum, Robert Covington and Norman Powell at the trade deadline this past season, many would not expect the Portland Trail Blazers to be a playoff-like team entering the 2022-23 season.
With Damian Lillard coming back from injury though and the Trail Blazers being aggressive in trade talks regarding their No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, it is not hard to imagine that newly appointed GM Joe Cronin will be looking to add another high-level talent to pair with Lillard.
Re-signing Anfernee Simons seems like a given for this franchise entering the offseason and they do have quite a few moveable assets, including this seventh overall selection.
Building for the future is great and all, but the Portland Trail Blazers have put themselves on a timetable to turn things around and capitalize on Lillard’s prime years.
Now being 31-years-old and turning 32 in July, Damian Lillard is not getting any younger and his future in this league remains a question mark. While he has stated that he would like to remain loyal to Portland long-term, Lillard wants to see this organization turn themselves into a contending team.
Competing at the highest-level possible and for championships is what Lillard would like to do with the Blazers, but over the next year or two, if they do not prove that they become this team, it is not hard to believe that he will request a trade to go play where he can contend for a championship.
Bringing in Jerami Grant is a big step in the right direction for the Trail Blazers and he would instantly become their second-best or third-best scoring option next to Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons.
Not to mention, Grant is a very strong defender, giving the Blazers a boost defensively as well. They have the cap space to be able to bring in Jerami Grant’s contract and possibly extend him long-term, which is why they are the No. 1 trade suitors for him right now.
Sacramento Kings
Much like the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings are shopping their draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Owning the fourth overall pick, the Kings have received interest from several teams around the league in potential trade talks simply because Jaden Ivey is expected to still be on the board with this fourth pick.
Ivey is the best guard prospect available in this year’s draft and with several teams around the league looking to find their new franchise point guard, the Detroit Pistons in this category, it is not hard to believe that Sacramento will trade out of this spot either before or during the draft.
Should the Pistons really want to move up one spot from five to four or just simply acquire the fourth pick to pair with their fifth pick, Jerami Grant could be a key talking point in a potential trade with the Kings.
The last time the Kings were in the playoffs, Stephen Curry was graduating from high school and gas prices, on average, were around $2.50 nationwide. 2006 was the last time Sacramento was in the postseason, which is why GM Monte McNair and their front-office are aggressively looking to add talent to their roster.
Jerami Grant is a “win-now” type of player on the trade block and he could be the perfect third scorer for this team to add around De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Harrison Barnes is in the final year of his contract, making him someone that they could send out in a deal to offset Grant’s incoming salary and there is also the possibility of the Kings looking to move on from center Richaun Holmes.
Sacramento is very open to trading this fourth overall pick right now and should the Pistons look to jump ahead one spot in this year’s draft, they could very well use Jerami Grant as trade bait.
Atlanta Hawks
Following a very disappointing 2021-22 season that ended in a loss to the Miami Heat in the first-round of the playoffs, Trae Young is the only player safe on the Atlanta Hawks roster right now.
Atlanta has some major holes to fill on their roster this offseason, starting with the big question mark surrounding where the rest of the team’s production on the offensive-end comes from outside of their All-NBA point guard.
John Collins’ injury concerns and frustrations over the years have made him a possible trade asset for the Hawks this offseason and both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari continue to be large contracts Atlanta could look to ship out in order to free up immediate cap space.
Change is on the horizon for the Atlanta Hawks as an organization and with them still wanting to compete at the highest level without going through any kind of a “rebuild,” Jerami Grant presents himself as a perfect trade target.
Being able to play off-the-ball and be a factor out on the wing defensively, Grant can supply the Hawks with everything they have needed from Collins over the years that he has yet to give them as a secondary leader next to Trae Young.
Atlanta currently owns the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft and could easily offset the cost of bringing in Grant by trading Gallinari and his $21.4 million contract for the 2022-23 season.
This franchise has been in the news quite a bit in recent weeks not only pertaining to possible John Collins and Jerami Grant trades, but also because there is speculation that Atlanta could look to pursue former No. 1 overall pick and pending restricted free agent Deandre Ayton.
All indications right now point towards the Hawks making a big move on draft night or shortly after, which is why it would not be shocking to see them pull-the-trigger on a deal to land Jerami Grant.
Other Teams To Note
Among other teams that could show trade interest in Jerami Grant this offseason, the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks should all be considered “dark horses” to potentially trade for the Pistons’ forward.
Starting with the Bulls, they are coming off their best year since the 2014-15 season and made the playoffs for the first-time since 2017. Zach LaVine is an unrestricted free agent, but the general consensus early on around the league is that he will opt to re-sign with the Bulls on a new deal.
Still looking like they are one piece away from being a true championship-like threat in the Eastern Conference, Chicago could view Jerami Grant as that two-way threat on the wing they need, sacrificing assets like Coby White, Patrick Williams and/or their No. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to land him from Detroit.
Quin Snyder’s departure in Utah adds to a long list of question marks for the Jazz to address, as their roster seems to be very unstable right now. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are not expected to be on the move at this moment, but the Jazz are expected to consider all options in terms of adding talent to their roster in order to be a true threat in the Western Conference.
This season proved to be a massive success for the Cleveland Cavaliers and in the offseason, they will look to build off of their success by adding talent around their young core. While they are not expected to make a massive trade, Kevin Love’s $28.9 million contract could still be moved and adding a two-way forward like Grant could make a lot of sense.
Bradley Beal’s future with the Washington Wizards continues to be questioned and while they added Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline, Washington could still use more firepower, especially since their bench unit was one of the worst in the league this past year in terms of consistency.
Addressing their backcourt is a priority, which is why the Wizards may not look to trade for Jerami Grant, but he is a secondary scorer that could alleviate pressure off the back of Beal in Washington.
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks made a magical run to the Western Conference Finals this season and while they lost to the Golden State Warriors in five games, they proved that they are not far off from being a real title threat.
Adding a little bit more talent around Doncic, specifically another primary scoring option, will be key for the Mavericks and having multiple moveable contracts and a late first-round pick, Dallas could pursue a player of Jerami Grant’s caliber should they choose to do so.
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