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.
Jerami Grant and free agency
There are limited number of teams who will have cap space this summer, and luckily the Pistons are one of them.
This is also one of the thinnest free agent crops in recent memory, as there is one star-level unrestricted free agent (Zach LaVine) and small group of impact restricted free agents (Bridges, Ayton, Sexton, Bamba).
Restricted free agents rarely leave their teams, and LaVine is also likely to re-sign with the Bulls, so there aren’t likely to be a bunch of impact free agents moving around this offseason.
That makes Grant potentially more valuable, as most teams are not going to be able to make significant additions via free agency .
Even if the Pistons don’t move Grant right away, once the dust settles from the draft and free agency, there will likely still be teams that need more and Grant could be the best trade piece available.
It’s certainly no guarantee but the offers that were there for Grant at the trade deadline will still be there and there might be a few more teams after they strike out in free agency.
Jerami Grant’s contract for the Detroit Pistons
One of the problematic parts of trading Jerami Grant is that he wants an extension with his new team, which might lower the number of suitors.
You could also argue that his value will be lower simply because teams will be getting less of a guarantee when they trade for him, which makes sense.
Expiring contracts aren’t as valuable as they once were and rentals won’t get as much in a trade. But Grant’s willingness to sign an extension could be a bonus to a team looking to lock up a 3rd or 4th piece at a good rate.
There is also the possibility that the Pistons will extend Grant themselves, which might be a smart move if they can get him to sign a deal that is similar to the one he just signed. I am not sure there is a team out there that will give Grant the max, so he might just take the security of a four year deal at a rate similar to Lonzo Ball’s 4 years/$85 million.
If that were the case, he’d still be easy to move in the future, or the Pistons could just roll with him and see how it works out, as he’d still be on a value deal.
While I understand the frustration, I think it’s still way too early to give up on the idea of trading Jerami Grant or that his market value is significantly lower than it was at the trade deadline.
I still think the Pistons will trade Grant at some point in the offseason and will probably get the same deal they were offered now or better, except they’ll be making it with more knowledge of their needs and a clearer understanding of Grant’s future contract.