The Detroit Pistons are currently the worst team in the NBA, so the Jerami Grant trade rumors are going to keep flying even though he is out at least six weeks with torn ligaments in his thumb.
That injury reportedly hasn’t dampened the market and the Pistons are thought to want to move Grant before the deadline according to multiple sources.
With so many teams currently in contention and no clear frontrunner, a move to acquire Grant might be just what a good team needs to push them over the top, so his services will be sought after by a number of teams.
This will put the Pistons in the driver’s seat, so they can hold out for the best offer and could walk away from this trade deadline with a haul.
One team reportedly with interest is the Utah Jazz, who Kevin O’ Connor of The Ringer mentioned as a possible trade destination for Jerami Grant.
This makes sense, as Grant provides something that the Jazz need and they have the assets to potentially make a deal.
Detroit Pistons: Trading Jerami Grant to the Utah Jazz
O’Connor didn’t get too far into the specifics of what a trade with the Jazz might look like, so here is one that could work for both teams:
With the Detroit Pistons clearly building around Cade Cunningham, this is move that could get them two pieces who are better fits, as well as some future draft assets.
But would either team bite on this deal? Who says no?
Jerami Grant makes sense for the Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are once again one of the best regular-season teams in the NBA, but simply making the playoffs is not enough, the Jazz know their window of opportunity is closing and they want to win a title now.
They have the team to do it, as they currently have the best offense in the NBA (by far) and the 5th-ranked defense, so it looks like they might not even need a move.
But this season is all about winning in the playoffs, and being able to go small will be key for them to get past teams like the Clippers and Warriors.
Here’s what O’Connor has to say:
"“Jazz are experimenting with smaller lineups to better prepare for teams like the Warriors and Clippers, both of whom have successfully downsized against them.”"
Jerami Grant is the perfect guy for this role, as he can play power forward with Gobert and even some center if they wanted to go really small in the playoffs.
Grant gives them another scoring option, as he can get his own buckets, and would take some of the pressure off Donovon Mitchell to always be the creator.
Grant’s shooting is good enough to replace most of what Bogdanovic brings to the table and his defensive versatility would be a huge upgrade.
If the Utah Jazz are serious about winning a title this season, a move for Jerami Grant makes a lot of sense, but what about for the rebuilding Detroit Pistons, is this enough to move their leading scorer?
Detroit Pistons: Trading Jerami Grant to the Utah Jazz
If the Pistons really want to trade Jerami Grant, it would be nice if they could get at least one proven NBA player back, a young guy with upside and a future pick, so this trade checks all of the boxes.
Bojan Bogdanovic is a good player who is shooting 42 percent from 3-point range this season and would fit perfectly with Cade Cunningham.
Jerami Grant takes touches away from Cunningham and often dominates the ball on offense, so it makes sense for the Pistons to try and find players who spread the floor if they are going to move Grant.
Jared Butler is a guy the Pistons liked at the draft, and would add another young player with upside who fits the mold of what they are looking for. Butler is a very good on-the-ball defender who shot 41 percent from 3-point range in his final year at Butler, where he won a national championship.
Butler is a winner who fills a need and is on the same timeline with the rest of the Pistons’ players.
Detroit also picks up a future pick and a second-rounder in next year’s draft, which is probably about as good a deal as they will find.
The two players coming back fill needs and are better complements to Cade Cunningham. I think this trade would make the Pistons better now and in the future. On top of that, they could still flip Bogdanovic before next year’s trade deadline and reap even more assets.
The Detroit Pistons might be able to find a better trade with so many teams looking for help, but this is the type of deal they should be looking for, as it has all of the pieces they’d require in a Jerami Grant trade.