Why Jerami Grant may have more trade value in the offseason

The Detroit Pistons did not trade Jerami Grant at the trade deadline, which was somewhat surprising.

We’d been hearing Grant trade rumors for weeks and it seemed logical that a rebuilding team would try to cash in on their best trade asset while he still has a year left on his contract.

But it doesn’t seem like the Pistons were ever really on the brink of trading him, as they likely didn’t get an offer that Troy Weaver thought would make them better.

Personally, I am glad that the Pistons didn’t trade Grant for pennies on the dollar, especially after seeing the deal that Portland got for Norman Powell and Robert Covington.

A lot of Pistons’ fans were not happy when the team didn’t move Grant, but they wouldn’t have been happy to get a couple of mediocre players and a second-round pick either.

I get the frustration, as Grant is a questionable fit with Cade Cunningham and his value may never be higher.

But I also think there are circumstances that could lead to his value being just as high or even higher in the offseason, so just because the Pistons didn’t trade Grant at the deadline, doesn’t mean he is part of the long-term plans either.

Jerami Grant’s injury and NBA parity

Grant was coming off an injury and had only returned for a couple of games prior to the trade deadline.

I can’t see how this didn’t affect his value, as teams knew they’d be getting a guy who was coming off a fairly serious thumb injury and may take some time to get back into a rhythm. It’s hard to imagine a team giving up a haul for a guy who was on the injury report just a day before.

A fully healthy Grant is a safer bet in the offseason.

The NBA is also as wide open as it has been a long time, with 5-6 teams in each conference thinking they are contenders. There is no clear favorite or juggernaut super team that seems unbeatable, so there will be even more teams this offseason who think they can get into the mix with the right move.

Grant will still be easy to trade pre-draft, which often has more action now than the trade deadline. There will undoubtedly be some teams that flame out in the playoffs or end up on the fringes that think Grant could have helped change their fate.

The Pistons will know which pick they have, and so will everyone else, which makes it much easier to envision where Grant fits in the rotation.

If the Detroit Pistons want to trade Jerami Grant this offseason, they will be able to, and there might be even more teams who think he could be a key piece of their roster.