The Detroit Pistons did not trade Jerami Grant at the deadline, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved before next season.
Detroit will still have a lot of options when it comes to Grant, as there will be contenders in the offseason with the assets to make a trade.
One of them will be the Portland Trail Blazers, who were reportedly interested in Grant at the deadline.
Portland was a busy team, trading away veterans CJ McCollum and Norman Powell before the deadline, picking up assets and cap space that they will try to use this offseason to reload around Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons.
Grant is friends with Lillard, who is apparently one of Jerami’s biggest fans after they played together on the Olympic team.
If the Pistons do end up trading Grant this offseason, Portland is the likely destination for several reasons.
Portland now has the assets to trade for Jerami Grant
The Detroit Pistons were reportedly looking for two first-round picks or a young player and a pick in exchange for Jerami Grant.
After their big trades, the Trail Blazers now have those assets, as they have two picks that would currently fall in the top 10 of the 2022 NBA Draft.
They also have the contracts to match up with Grant’s, so if they really want to reload with a guy Lillard likes in an effort to keep him happy, there is an obvious trade there to help both teams.
While losing Grant might not help the Pistons right away, having three picks in the top-10 of the draft would soften the blow.
The Trail Blazers want to make bold moves
There are already rumblings that Damian Lillard is going to be the next superstar to try and orchestrate a trade from his team.
He is the face of their franchise and a fan favorite, so I am certain the Trail Blazers want to avoid this by reloading with players Lillard feels will get him closer to a title.
The Blazers got off of McCollum and Powell’s money, have a player option on Nassir Little and the contracts of Eric Bledsoe and Josh Hart are only partially guaranteed, so Portland could have a ton of cap space this offseason.
One name to watch for them is Zach Lavine, who is also a friend and former Olympic teammate of Lillard. The Trail Blazers should have the cap space to go after LaVine, trade for Grant and then extend Simons, giving them a starting lineup of Lillard, Simons, LaVine, Grant and whatever center they end up with.
That is a team Lillard might be more excited about, and I don’t think the Blazers cleared all of that money just to sit on it and add more draft picks.
This is just one possibility for Grant and there will undoubtedly be others, but Portland might have the best combination of assets and desperation for the Pistons to get maximum value for their leading scorer.