The Detroit Pistons and Jerami Grant have been at the heart of the NBA rumor season, with most experts believing Detroit will deal their versatile forward before the trade deadline.
The Pistons have a lot of leverage here, as they don’t have to trade Grant and could certainly wait to see how things go in the draft and free agency before moving him sometime in the offseason or before next year’s trade deadline.
But a move seems inevitable at this point, as Grant isn’t the greatest fit with rookie Cade Cunningham and would need to adjust his game to be a better complement if he wants to be a long-term piece for the Pistons.
It’s possible to imagine a future for the Pistons with Jerami Grant, but dealing him while his value is at its highest also makes a lot of sense.
There have been a lot of trades floated around, some which make sense and some which don’t, but there seemingly haven’t been any concrete offers made yet.
Here is a recap of all of the different rumors, including the teams that make no sense, the ones who are intriguing and the ones that have potentially attractive offers for Jerami Grant.
Teams to avoid in a Jerami Grant trade
Here are three rumored suitors the Detroit Pistons should avoid in any Jerami Grant trades unless the reported offers were significantly adjusted or a third team got involved.
New York Knicks
The Knicks could offer a poo-poo platter of mediocre young players (sorry, Obi Toppin doesn’t move me) and a pick but the one guy the Pistons might want (Mitchell Robinson) will be a free agent at the end of the year anyway.
The Knicks blew some of their capital getting Cam Reddish from Atlanta and now he doesn’t even play. The Pistons may be bad, but hey, at least we aren’t the Knicks, who are a hot mess with some of the worst contracts in the league now hanging over them for years to come.
LA Lakers
The Lakers have been floating their meager trade package to anyone who will listen, but so far they’ve no takers for a mediocre young player (Talen Horton Tucker), salary filler and a pick sometime in the next century.
It’s hard to imagine the Lakers being able to get an impact player with the assets they have, but stranger things have happened.
Dallas Mavericks
I know some fans are high on Jalen Brunson, but it would take a pile of players from Dallas to make the salaries work and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season anyway.
If the Pistons want Brunson, they can bid on him as a free agent, so I don’t really see a match with Dallas for Jerami Grant.
Jerami Grant trade rumors for the Detroit Pistons to consider
There were two teams mentioned in Jerami Grant trade rumors that I thought were intriguing, as they have salaries that match up, would be good locations for Grant as a player and have some young assets to tempt Detroit with.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz have a couple of different veteran salaries that would work in a Jerami Grant trade, a young player in Jared Butler and a future pick or two to offer.
Count me as someone who thinks Bogdanovic, Butler and a pick would be a pretty good deal for Detroit, one that nets them a proven NBA player who may be a better fit with Cunningham, a promising rookie and a future draft asset.
It seems like the Jazz rumors have cooled, but they are a team that would love to add perimeter defense so they can go small at times against some of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Portland Trail Blazers
When I first wrote about the Trail Blazers as a possibility, most readers didn’t think this offer was enough to get Grant.
Now that Anfernee Simons has blown up, this one looks a lot more intriguing for Detroit, as they would gain his Bird Rights when he becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season and Simons looks like a nice fit with Cade.
Portland is at a cross road and will have to decide if they want to go for it this season or blow it up, in which case they might decide to hold onto Simons as a young piece to build around.
Possible Jerami Grant trades for the Detroit Pistons to consider
These two teams stand out as having the best potential packages, though neither have expressed a real willingness to deal them for Jerami Grant.
I do think Troy Weaver is holding out for the possibility that one of them will be desperate enough at the deadline to overpay slightly for Jerami Grant.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks reportedly want to deal John Collins, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me considering his age, talent and contract, but if he is on the table, the Pistons should definitely be interested.
Either the Hawks don’t like his fit with Trae Young or think they need more defense, otherwise I can’t imagine why they’d want to give up a young player with that much talent who is on a deal that will look like a bargain in a few seasons.
The Pistons would likely have to pitch in another asset or two, but even if they did, Collins is a guy whose athleticism and efficient scoring off the ball would be a welcome addition in Detroit.
Chicago Bulls
I still think the Bulls potentially have the best trade package for Jerami Grant if they are willing to part with young forward Patrick Williams.
So far, they seem reluctant to do so, but Weaver was reportedly enamored with Williams in the 2020 draft and he would be a young, high-ceiling replacement still on a rookie deal.
My gut tells me Weaver is trying to hold out for Williams but will the Bulls be desperate enough to deal him as they try to win now with upcoming free agent Zach LaVine? We will know soon.
Of course, Grant will probably be traded to a team that hasn’t been mentioned because that is how the trade deadline generally works, but this gives you a good idea of what is out there so far.