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.
Detroit Pistons: Re-grading the Jerami Grant contract for the present
Jerami Grant has two more years remaining on his contract that will pay him $20 million and $20.9 million.
I remember when this used to be a lot of money for an NBA player, but now it is more or less minimum wage for a decent player in the NBA.
When it comes to present-day value, the Jerami Grant contract is one of the best in the NBA. When you look at some of the guys who make a similar amount, Grant is probably the best of the group.
Guys like Gary Harris, Danilo Gallinari and Malcolm Brogdon all make the same as Grant, with Zach LaVine just behind him. Of that group, I’d say only LaVine has an argument that he is better than Jerami Grant.
Just ahead in salary you’ll see guys like Victor Oladipo, Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield. Grant is better than all of them, especially when you factor in durability and defense.
I think there is a solid argument that Jerami Grant is one of the best value contracts in the NBA given his age and production.
Only LaVine would be considered the number one option on his team, so Grant is great value for money.
Grade: A
Detroit Pistons: Re-grading the Jerami Grant contract for the future
There are two ways to look at the Jerami Grant contract when it comes to the future: the first is if the Detroit Pistons keep him and he finishes the contract and the second is if they decided to trade him.
The Detroit Pistons are likely to be adding Cade Cunningham to their roster soon, which means the timeline for when they will be good has been sped up.
They already have two All-Rookies in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, so adding Cunningham may push the Detroit Pistons near the playoffs as soon as next season.
After that, the Blake Griffin contract is off the books and the Pistons will have the cap space to add another impact talent, so they should be good in the final year of Jerami Grant’s contract, if not before.
Grant will still be just 29-years-old when his contact is up, so the Pistons could re-sign him to another 3-4 year deal, get the rest of his prime and have a very good veteran leader for their still-young roster.
We see NBA players routinely playing into their mid-30’s and still being effective, so I see no reason why the Detroit Pistons wouldn’t re-sign Jerami Grant. The issue would be if he makes an All-Star game or two between now and then, which might catapult his potential salary closer to the $30 million a season range.
If the Detroit Pistons decide to keep Jerami Grant, they could end up paying a premium for his less-than-prime years but as long as they don’t go overboard, he’ll still be a value.
Grade: B+
Detroit Pistons: Re-grading the Jerami Grant contract for the future
There is another possibility when it comes to the Jerami Grant contract in the future and that’s if the Detroit Pistons decide to trade him while his value is high.
There has been widespread speculation (some of it completely asinine) that the Pistons were shopping Grant to teams like the Warriors or Pelicans.
I hope this isn’t true, as Grant wants to be in Detroit and it would be bad form to trade a guy away who willingly came to a team that doesn’t always draw free agents.
But given his production, age and relatively low contract, Jerami Grant would probably get a haul in a trade, and some have suggested that is exactly what the Detroit Pistons should do given that this is a deep draft and teams like the Warriors would love to cash in their picks for a proven player.
The “timeline” truthers certainly agree (they tell me daily) that the Pistons would be foolish not to trade Grant while his value is high.
I disagree with this, as eventually you need actual players to win, not just hope and draft assets, and Grant is a real one who embodies the culture the Pistons are trying to build.
But if they do want to trade him, it would be very easy and the Detroit Pistons would probably get a lot for him, so this future scenario gets a high grade.
Grade: A
A year later, the Jerami Grant contract now looks like one of the best in the NBA whether the Pistons keep it or not and Troy Weaver has proven himself as a GM with a keen eye for undervalued talent.