What could Knicks offer the Pistons in Jerami Grant trade?

It seems like just about every team in the NBA has called the Detroit Pistons about a possible trade for Jerami Grant.

We’ve already talked about the Jazz, Lakers and Trail Blazers among others, but none of these teams really have an appealing package for Detroit, who has all of the leverage and would love nothing more than to create a bidding war if they are going to trade their leading scorer.

Although a Grant trade seems inevitable at this point, the Pistons don’t have to do anything and if the right offer is not there, they can simply keep him and see what happens.

Yesterday, Shams Charania of the Athletic injected another team into the mix, the New York Knicks, who are reportedly interested in Grant as well:

The Knicks were a surprising entry into the fray, but at this point it seems like almost anything is possible.

The Knicks don’t make a ton of sense for a Jerami Grant trade

The Knicks have to rank with the Celtics as one of the most disappointing teams of the season, as they both had aspirations of winning the Eastern Conference coming into this year.

The Knicks are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference, but with so many teams packed together, are only three games out of the sixth seed.

The play-in tournament has made just about every team think they have a chance, so the Knicks might be able to make a run if they can make he right additions at the trade deadline.

There is also a question of assets, as the Knicks do have some young talent and draft picks but also have some terrible contracts that Detroit will not want to take on.

So is there a match here?

Pistons and Knicks trade for Jerami Grant

The Knicks stupidly locked themselves into a core of Julius Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Alec Burks to go along with their young talent, and it is hard to see how they could trade for Grant without one of those guys being involved, which would be a non-starter for Detroit, who is not looking to take back a bad contract.

But I will give it a shot.

The Knicks might have some interest in this, as they have another first-round pick coming to them from the Hornets (19-30) and none of these three players are doing much for them right now.

Grant would give the Knicks a lot of lineup versatility and a chance to make a run at the playoffs without giving up either of their two best young players.

I definitely don’t think the Knicks would hang up the phone, but what about the Detroit Pistons?

Why Pistons would do this deal, or not

On paper, this makes some sense for the Pistons, as they get to take a flyer on a high-upside guy in Toppin, who would give them some much needed athleticism and another guy who can play above the rim in transition.

They also get veteran Taj Gibson, who would be a great mentor for their young bigs and his contract is only partially guaranteed next season, so they wouldn’t be making any type of commitment.

Knox is just salary filler here, but he is still young, so Detroit could at least take a look for the rest of the season, which is the final one of his contract.

The Pistons would love to get another first round pick, though it would likely fall outside of the lottery if the Knicks either made the playoffs or wanted some protections on the pick.

There are some things to like about this trade, which would give the Pistons a young player to try and develop and a pick, while not taking on any bad contracts or long-term salary.

But I don’t think this will be the best offer the Detroit Pistons will get and it certainly doesn’t move the needle for them as far as competition, as Toppin is unproven and that first-round pick could end up being in the 20’s if the Knicks go on a run.

Ultimately, I do not see a great deal here for Detroit and if they do decide to trade Jerami Grant, it probably won’t be to the Knicks.