The Detroit Pistons took a risk when they signed free-agent Jerami Grant to a 3 year/$60 million deal last offseason.
The risk paid off, as Grant blew up in an expanded role and nearly won the Most Improved Player award while showing that he is far more than just a role player.
This led to an invite to Team USA and a gold medal for Grant, who now looks like one of the cornerstones of the Pistons’ restoration.
Yes, he is a bit older than some of the other players in the Pistons’ core, but Detroit still sees him as part of the long-term plans.
The current expectation is that Jerami Grant eventually signs with the Pistons long term, @JLEdwardsIII writes.
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) September 14, 2021
"At 27, Grant is an important piece of what Detroit is building."
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Detroit Pistons: Why it makes sense to re-sign Jerami Grant
Detroit has never been a top free agent destination, so the Pistons have either had to draft their stars or trade for them.
Grant is one of the few high profile free agents to ever sign with Detroit, though he was considered more of a quality role player than a star coming out of Denver.
Even though Grant is 27-years-old, he is still in his prime, and the Detroit Pistons can have the rest of it by re-signing him to an extension with a similar (or slightly higher) average annual salary.
Young teams need leaders, and Grant has proven he can be one on both ends of the floor, and as the young Pistons get better and Grant gets older, he can slide into a more complementary role than the one he had last season.
Let’s also not forget that Grant wanted to be in Detroit and chose to come to Motown even though Denver offered him the same amount of money.
Grant is the beginning of the culture change in Detroit and I think the Pistons should allow him to see it through to contention.
And when you look around the NBA, Grant’s contract looks like a steal in comparison to the deals some of these teams are giving out.