The Jerami Grant contract was a point of controversy early on for the Detroit Pistons, but after his breakout season most of his detractors have disappeared.
He signed a 3 year/$60 million contract to come to Detroit, reportedly turning down the same offer from the Denver Nuggets.
Detroit Pistons: The Jerami Grant contract was hotly debated
There were two main issues most naysayers had when the Detroit Pistons signed Jerami Grant. The first was that he had always been a role player in the past and they were paying him more than role player money, something the Pistons have a long history of doing.
I have to admit, when I first saw the Jerami Grant contract I got a bit of Ben Gordon/ Charlie Villanueva vibe, as it seemed like a bit of an overpay for a guy who had not yet proven himself to be a star.
The second issue was one that annoys me more than just about anything when it comes to contracts, which is “timeline.” Some fans are obsessed with the idea of “timeline” as if a team has ever won a title with a team full of guys who were all the same age.
In Jerami Grant’s case, fans were worried that the Detroit Pistons wouldn’t be good within the scope of his contract, so he was just a waste of money, as if the Pistons are asking the fans to chip in on his salary or something.
A year in and those concerns have mostly been put to bed, as Grant had a breakout year, showing he can be more than a role player, and the Pistons’ timeline was sped up when they won the NBA Draft lottery and got the number one pick.
So let’s take a look at the Jerami Grant contract a year in to see how it looks for the present and future of the Detroit Pistons.