How the Norman Powell trade hurt the Jerami Grant market

It’s still unclear how serious the Detroit Pistons are about a Jerami Grant trade, but the recent Norman Powell deal probably didn’t help the market.

Powell was traded (along with Robert Covington) from the Trail Blazers to the Clippers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round draft pick.

This is an underwhelming haul, as Bledsoe is washed, Winslow is officially worse than Stanley Johnson (we won!!), and Keon Johnson hasn’t really played. The pick is ultimately meaningless, so the Blazers essentially gave away two productive players for nothing.

Powell is a proven 18-20 ppg scorer who shoots over 40 percent from long range, while Covington has long been one of the better 3-and-D role players in the league.

This trade was not a good sign for the Detroit Pistons or the market for Jerami Grant for several reasons.

Two teams are definitely out on Jerami Grant

The Portland Trail Blazers were one of the many teams connected to a possible Grant trade, although it’s unclear why since they are currently out of the play-in tournament and sinking fast.

This move shows that they are more interested in saving money than getting wins, as Damian Lillard is still out and they were going nowhere anyway, so it makes sense to shed some payroll, get under the tax and start thinking about next season.

The Clippers were never really mentioned as a destination for Jerami Grant, but they were another possibility taken off the table by this trade, which they very clearly won.

While removing these two teams from a potential Grant bidding war does not mean he won’t be traded, it does remove some of the competition and also sets the market for what they might get.