The Brutal Truth About Jerami Grant’s Contract and the Blazers’ Future

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant is a key part of the team, but his salary is beginning to weigh on the roster's payroll.

Grant's five-year, $160 million contract that he signed in the summer of 2023 has one more fully guaranteed season and a player option for the 2027-28 campaign. It's possible that the Blazers could face some issues down the line because of Grant's contract.

"After bizarrely making just 38% of his 2s last season, he's hovering around 50% in a bounce-back offensive season. The bad news here is that he's owed high-level starter money for two more years, his age-32 and -33 seasons. He doesn't really defend anymore and he's never provided much on offense aside from shot-making," CBS Sports contributor Sam Quinn wrote.

"In a perfect world, the Blazers would be below the salary cap in the summer of 2027 so they could renegotiate and extend Avdija's contract. So naturally, they owe almost $88 million to Grant in his age-33 season and the Jrue Holiday-Damian Lillard pairing in their age-37 seasons."

Jerami Grant Among Worst Contracts in NBA

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

If the Blazers want to take a step in the right direction, they are going to need to get more talent in the building. Grant's contract does make that job a little harder. It would be one thing if Grant was playing at an all-star level, but he is averaging just 18.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Blazers this season. On top of that, he has missed 16 games due to injury.

When the Blazers signed Grant to an extension, they hoped that he would be the rising co-star for Damian Lillard to help build the Blazers back to prominence. Unfortunately, shortly after the Blazers signed Grant to the contract, Lillard requested a trade. Later that offseason, he was eventually dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Grant is an important part of the Blazers, and he is adding value to the team; however, he isn't doing so to match the salary that was given to him. Circumstances have changed for the Blazers since Grant signed his deal, and the team has not found a trade that makes sense for them.

This means Grant should be on the roster for the next two seasons. Maybe there's a chance the Blazers can find a trade once Grant's deal becomes an expiring one, but Portland should plan for the future with Grant in mind, at least for next season.