The Detroit Pistons have now lost 11-in-a-row and the trade rumors about Jerami Grant are starting to circulate. *Note: This was written before the news that Grant is out indefinitely with torn ligaments in his thumb.
NBA insider Chad Ford thinks the Pistons will move Grant before the deadline based on his conversations with NBA GMs, which is not surprising considering the Pistons are a bad team that has one good veteran player.
Whenever that is the case, there are going to be rumors.
I should first say that the Pistons do not have to trade Grant and if the right deal isn’t there, they shouldn’t. He is a good value contract, produces, wants to be in Detroit and his contract still runs through next season.
The Pistons could easily wait and move him at the next deadline, or they could re-sign him to a long-term deal, which wouldn’t upset me at all. However, Detroit might be able to get more for him now, as he still has a year left on his deal and won’t be a rental, so we are certainly going to hear about interested teams.
When looking at possible trade partners, I chose teams who have aspirations for the playoffs and might need more firepower. I also chose teams that might actually have something the Pistons would want in a trade.
As I said, there is no rush to move Jerami Grant and the Pistons can afford to be choosy and wait for the perfect deal. If that deal never comes, so be it.
Here are some ideas.
Detroit Pistons: 10 possible trades for Jerami Grant
I am not saying I would do any of these trades, but these are the types of deals the Pistons might be offered for Jerami Grant.
New Orleans Pelicans
I wrote about a possible Pistons/Pelicans trade yesterday, so I won’t rehash it, but this is the “young players and a pick” type of deal for Grant.
This deal would get Detroit two high ceiling young players who fit the timeline, an expiring deal and a future 1st-round pick. This is the type of deal I would hate for Detroit, as it doesn’t bring back a sure-fire NBA player, as neither of the young guys have been good this season and may never be.
Detroit Pistons: 10 possible trades for Jerami Grant
Sacramento Kings
The Kings get off the unhappy Buddy Hield but have to give the Pistons a pick to take that extra year of salary.
How desperate are the Kings to make the playoffs? This would give Detroit some much-needed shooting and another pick in 2022, but they would have 29-year-old Hield for two more seasons after this one.
If the Kings thought Hield was too much, Pistons could take Marvin Bagley III and Tristan Thompson’s expiring contracts plus a pick, which may be the better option if they want to keep a clean cap sheet while still being able to take a flyer on a center talent.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks get an upgrade and a guy they can go to war with in the playoffs, and the Pistons get to take chance on two young players in Reddish and Okongwu who have some upside.
They also get an expiring contract in Wright and and little guaranteed future money. This trade doesn’t excite me much, as Okongwu hasn’t played this season and Reddish has been middling in his 3rd season though his 3-point shooting has improved.
Detroit Pistons: 10 possible trades for Jerami Grant
Dallas Mavericks
In this trade, Dallas gets another weapon for Luka Doncic and gets off some money for next season by getting rid of Kleber and Burke. Their tax is that they have to give up two young players with upside in Brown and Green as well as their 2022 1st-round pick, which will probably be in the 20’s.
This is what is known as the “poo poo platter” option, as there isn’t one great asset but three decent ones.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves get two better players who might help them go from the fringes of the playoffs into the mix. Beasley has struggled this season, Prince doesn’t play and the Timberwolves don’t need either of them, which is why they are paying a 1st-round pick to get rid of them.
Prince is an expiring and Beasley has one more guaranteed year at just over $15 million, plus a team option for the year after that. If he plays well, the Pistons could pick it up, or have him as an expiring next season.
Detroit Pistons: 10 possible trades for Jerami Grant
Los Angeles Lakers
I don’t see a match here and the Lakers have no picks until like 2026, but I am sure we’ll see some Horton-Tucker, Nunn, Ariza packages getting thrown around by delusional Lakers’ fans, but remember, we hate the Lakers and have no interest in helping them, so it would take a massive overpay and they don’t have the pieces. Plus, Horton-Tucker can’t be traded until the middle of January and Nunn hasn’t even played this season.
Washington Wizards
In exchange for taking Bertans’ AWFUL contract, the Pistons get a shooter in Corey Kispert and two future 1st-round picks and that still might not be enough to take on a Bertans’ deal. The guy is a career 40 percent 3-point shooter but he has been awful this season, is 29-years-old and his contract runs through 2024-25.
Come to think of it, the Wizards may have to give up even more here.
Charlotte Hornets
The Pistons get to take a chance on two young players who aren’t currently big parts of the Hornets in Washington and Bouknight.
Washington is the type of young, rim protector the Pistons need and Bouknight projects as a guy who will eventually be able to score. It would really just depend on whether the Hornets thought Grant was enough push them into the top half of the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Pistons: 10 possible trades for Jerami Grant
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors trade some of their youth in an effort to get a guy who can help them win a title this year. Wiseman has yet to play this season, Moody rides the bench and Looney is an expiring deal.
This would be somewhat risky for both teams, as the Pistons would be counting on Wiseman to be healthy in the future and the Warriors would be counting on Grant to be the piece the puts them over the top. I’m not sure either of those things would happen.
For me, this is the type of deal the Pistons should be looking for, as they get back a high-ceiling talent and don’t take on any bad money.
Philadelphia 76ers
This one has been talked about ad nauseam and the 76ers have already indicated that they’d want more, but this what I would offer for Ben Simmons.
The 76ers have no leverage here, as Simmons hasn’t played and has had a lot of weird issues, mostly of the mental variety.
If they’d do it, great, if not, I’d move on.
None of these trades are going to make the Detroit Pistons contenders, but the Jerami Grant trade market might not be much better than it is right now, so if Detroit doesn’t think a deal like this is enough, they should just re-sign Grant and make him part of the future.