Don’t be surprised if Jerami Grant’s still a Piston next season

Weaver looking ahead to contract talks with Grant?

For all the talk about Jerami Grant being traded at the February NBA trade deadline, Weaver said it was more like teams had their ‘feelers out,’ which is a lot different than being swamped with solid offers. Weaver said nothing he heard ‘blew him away’, which is also an important phrase.

It means Weaver was not looking to dump Grant for whatever he could get, he wanted a ‘Godfather’ type offer to consider sending Grant away.

Another interesting tidbit came when Weaver was asked about the prospects of dealing Grant this summer. With Detroit having a good chance at drafting a power forward or center, Grant could become a luxury. (h/t Omari Sankofa II for quotes):

"“Maybe something comes down the pipe. We’ll see.,” said Weaver of future trade possibilities of Grant. “”I don’t anticipate it being an avalanche. After the playoffs, some teams will feel like we can add a player or two, and maybe the phone rings a little more. I’m not sure. The landscape of the NBA changes weekly.”"

Weaver saying he “… does not anticipate it being an avalanche” of interest in Grant speaks volumes. Maybe the reports of Grant being traded at the deadline were more media driven than actual phone calls to Weaver by teams.

For a GM to say publicly he does not think there will be a lot of interest in a player who he might trade, is kind of odd. Unless ….

What was Troy Weaver really saying about Jerami Grant and the Detroit Pistons?

Weaver’s comments make a lot of sense, if you are preparing to have contract negotiations to extend Grant.

Legally, Grant has to play for Detroit next season. However, being on the last year of a contract, and looking into who knows what in the free agent market, it will probably not make Grant, or his agent, happy campers. Grant would be in limbo, still in Detroit, but on his way out.

Weaver knows, if he can negotiate a reasonable long-term contract for Grant, he is still eminently tradeable. Now, four years for $112 million might be a touch high. However, (and this is based on no inside knowledge), three-years for $75 million, with a team fourth-year option, could be workable, and a nice bump in pay for Grant.

Talking about how they received no really good offers, and how they do not expect many teams to want him in the off-season, is a way to try and lower Grant’s asking price.

Parsing through the words, it appears, as long as the price is right, Jerami Grant will be with the Detroit Pistons next season. Of course, it only takes one team to change Troy Weaver’s mind.