Wizards Named Trade Spot for Trail Blazers Forward

The Washington Wizards have already made a big trade so far this season, but they could make more moves ahead of the deadline. Washington landed four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9, sending veterans in shooting guard CJ McCollum and small forward Corey Kispert in return.

The Wizards aren't done with the trade market this season, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported that they're remaining active until the deadline on Feb. 5. Robbins reported that the Wizards are looking to absorb player multi-year contracts in exchange for draft picks or other young players that could help the team moving forward.

One of those players that Robbins' mentioned that might make sense for the Wizards is Portland Trail Blazers small forward Jerami Grant.

Would the Wizards Trade for Jerami Grant?

Grant has one of the bigger salaries for a player of his caliber, signing a five-year, $160 million contract with the Trail Blazers ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Jan 15, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) reacts during warm ups before playing against the Atlanta Hawks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

He makes $32 million this season, $34.2 million next campaign and has a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

The Wizards could get a 12-year NBA veteran like Grant, while taking on his contract and adding some solid players from the Trail Blazers, if they're looking to move on from that deal.

Robbins reported that Portland isn't looking to get rid of expensive contracts and wants players that can help them win. The Trail Blazers have won their past three games, plus 10 of their past 13 contests and are 22-22 overall, ninth place in the Western Conference standings with a shot at the Play-In.

“I think any smart front office would first obviously use those salaries to get better,” one official from a rival team told Robbins about the Trail Blazers.

One player that Robbins sees the Wizards trading is small forward Khris Middleton, who is making similar money to Grant, but is in the final season of his current contract. Middleton makes $33.3 million on his player option this season and would give the Trail Blazers a chance to add more in future seasons with Grant's off their payroll, but is only about $1.3 million this season, making it hard to make moves at the trade deadline.

The Wizards don't have the best chances of adding Grant, but general manager Will Dawkins isn't afraid of making bold moves for the future of the franchise.

What the Wizards Would Get in Grant

Grant is 31 years old and in his 12th NBA season, plus his fourth with Portland, where he was born. His tenure with the Trail Blazers is the longest he's been with one team, as the Philadelphia 76ers took him 39th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and he played two seasons with them.

Grant also featured for the Oklahoma City Thunder for three seasons, 2016-19, the Denver Nuggets for the 2019-20 campaign, then two seasons with the Detroit Pistons, 2020-22.

He has played in 747 games and started 448 of them over his long career and has mostly been a starter the past seven to eight seasons.

Points (Avg.)	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Minutes
13.4	3.9	1.6	1.0	28.0

Field Goal (%)	3-Point (%)	Foul Shooting
44.8	36.6%	75.9

Grant hasn't played close to a full season in many seasons, appearing in 80 games just three times and last doing so in the 2018-19 campaign in Oklahoma City. He's only featured in 28 games for Portland this season out of a possible 44 contests and has only played in at least 60 games once in the past five seasons.

He is the son of former NBA forward Harvey Grant, who played for the Washington Bullets for five seasons, 1988-93, then a second stint with a name change to the Wizards for three seasons, 1996-98. He also played for the Trail Blazers at the time of Jerami's birth. Horace Grant, a four-time NBA Champion with the Chicago Bulls (1991-93) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2001), is the twin of Harvey Grant and the uncle of Jerami.

Grant played for nearby powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md. before going on to play for Syracuse for two seasons. He is also a minority owner of MLS club D.C. United, his hometown team.

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