Trades Lakers media and fans would make for Jerami Grant

The Los Angeles Lakers fan base is desperate for additional talent as the team flounders. Despite having few draft assets, or tradeable players, a number of media types have come up with ways that the Detroit Pistons would give them Jerami Grant.

The NBA has a major crisis, as far as Los Angeles Lakers fans are concerned. The Lakers look to be headed for another season of getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs, which is freaking out Laker Nation. They expect titles, or at least title contention.

Currently, the Lakers are so poor in the middle that LeBron James is playing center, just to get five good players on the court. If the season ended today, the Lakers would be back in the Play-in tournament as the 7th seed.

Having poured all available promising players and draft assets to Washington for Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles has little to offer other teams.

However, that hasn’t stopped speculating from fans and even sections of the media, that a trade is possible with the Pistons for … get this .. Jerami Grant.

Outside of Ben Simmons, Grant is the biggest name that is possibly available before the NBA trade deadline. He averages 20 points a game and is an outstanding defensive player. He also has an Olympic gold medal. He is out until at least the end of January with a thumb injury, but no one cares. They still want him.

And we do emphasize possibly. Grant has another year on his contract at a reasonable $20 million a year. He has also not voiced any desire to leave, so Detroit is under no pressure to make a deal now. They can wait for offers in the summer, or even ink Grant to an extension and make him part of their future. He is only 27, so Grant probably has another 3-4 prime years left in him.

But that has not stopped chatter, endless chatter, about how Grant will come to the Lakers because … well, it’s more fun than talking about the the mediocrity of the current squad.

One would think that Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver should get some pretty juicy offers as the February 10 trade deadline nears.

However, the Lakers just know their offer will be accepted, because .. they’re the Lakers and they need Grant.

The THT Factor

As a primer, you must go on the assumption that Lakers forward Talen Horton-Tucker is a future star player in this league, and it is just that the Lakers are in ‘win now’ mode, so they can not wait for him to blossom.

Horton-Tucker just turned 21 and is averaging 11 points a game. But he is a bad outside shooter and the Pistons already have enough of those. But, if you think THT has a bright future in the NBA, the proposed deals make a bit of sense.

Let’s take a look at some of the trades cooked up that send Jerami Grant to the Lakers:

The ‘Perfect’ Lakers-Detroit Pistons trade

The site ‘Clutch Points’ have this version as the ‘perfect Lakers trade’:

My Analysis: Yes, this is indeed a ‘perfect’ trade for the Lakers. For Detroit? Ahhh, not so much.

Horton-Tucker is a nice player. Better than Jamorko Pickett? Probably. Better than Saddiq Bey or Hamidou Diallo? Probably not.

Nunn had a heck of a senior year at Oakland University. But he is a 6-2 shooting point guard (and only a career 36.8 percent from three) and the Pistons already have a 6-6 version in Cade Cunningham.

Nunn also has not played this season due to injury, so you probably will not see him until next year.

Unless Weaver is promised a starring role by LeBron in the next ‘Space Jam’ movie, this is an easy pass for him.