The biggest offseason question hanging over the Detroit Pistons is what they are going to do with Jerami Grant.
The versatile forward is entering the final year of his contract, so if the Pistons do not see him as part of the long-term plans, it makes sense to trade him this offseason.
The Detroit Pistons weren’t nearly as close to trading Grant at the deadline as we might have thought and there is a distinct possibility that they extend him to be part of their Big 3 with Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey, eventually getting pushed to the 4th or 5th option (hopefully) as he ages and the young player improve.
Portland is the spot most-rumored for Grant, as they have a high draft pick and want to reload quickly around Grant’s friend Damian Lillard.
Detroit Pistons: Jerami Grant’s trade market isn’t just Portland
But there are other teams that might want to add a veteran who could push them over the top, including the New Orleans Pelicans, who made the playoffs the season, have a ton of young talent already and may look to use their draft pick to acquire another veteran to make a title run.
With Zion Williamson coming back next season, New Orleans has to feel they are ready to compete now with Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, CJ McCollum and Herb Jones already on the roster.
Adding a versatile veteran like Jerami Grant could shore up their defense while also allowing the Pelicans to get off a few contracts that are not part of their future plans.
In exchange for taking on two contracts, the Detroit Pistons would get their 2022 NBA Draft pick. It’s a move that could make sense for both teams when you consider their respective positions in the league right now.
Detroit Pistons: Trading Jerami Grant to the Pelicans
The Pelicans own the Lakers’ 2022 draft pick from the Anthony Davis trade, and it has a 66.6 percent chance of being the 8th or 9th pick.
A top-10 pick would be a good return for Jerami Grant, but the Detroit Pistons would have to take on some players to get it, which could be a deal breaker.
They’d love to get their hands on Jaxson Hayes as an up-and-coming 21-year-old big man with some hops, but the Pelicans are high on him even though he didn’t get much run in the playoffs, so they’ll have to settle if they want to get that pick.
I this trade, the Pelicans get Jerami Grant and are able to get off two contracts in exchange for the 8th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Pistons take back a washed veteran in Temple who they would likely cut, combo guard Devonte’ Graham who has been an effective high-volume 3-point shooter in his career and the 8th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which they could use to grab the best shooting guard still available, especially if they were to luck out and land a top-3 selection with their own pick.
It makes some sense for both teams, but would either of them pull the trigger?
Detroit Pistons: Trading Jerami Grant to the Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
Temple is washed and Devonte’ Graham was pretty much out of the rotation for the Pelicans by the end of the season, so these are two guys they would love to get off their books.
Grant would not only give New Orleans another versatile and long forward, but he can shoot the 3-ball, be the primary scorer in short stretches and give them some insurance for Zion Williamson.
Williamson is expected to be back at full strength, but the Pelicans would be foolish to go into next season without some sort of Plan B. Grant could be a super-sub for the Pels, playing multiple spots, getting a lot of minutes and improving their perimeter defense. Zion is not likely to play a full season either way and could be on a minutes’ limitation, so grabbing a guy like Grant would give them a spot starter and some insurance against their season being ruined by injury again.
He and Herb Jones would be tough together and Grant would allow the Pelicans to go small in the playoffs after the Suns killed them with small ball in Round 1 this season.
The Pels already have a lot of talented young players and don’t really need another draft pick, so going after a guy like Grant makes sense, though they’d have some cap issues trying to re-sign him.
It would be a risky move for the Pelicans considering his contract status, but if they really want to go for a title next season, it makes sense and would give them one of the deepest teams in the NBA.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons would be taking back a guy in Temple who still has one guaranteed year left on his contact, plus a non-guaranteed year in the 2023-24 season, so eating his contract would not be be fun.
Graham actually fills a need for the Pistons as an off-the-bench shooter who can occasionally get hot and score 30 points. He’s got two more guaranteed seasons and a third year that is not fully guaranteed. At $11.5 million per year, Graham might be slightly overpaid, but it’s not a bad contract for a guy who will give you 15 points per game off the bench on 37 percent from long range. He’s undersized and not a great defender, but that is the price Detroit would have to pay to get that 8th pick.
Obviously, this trade would be all about that pick, and would potentially allow the Pistons to add two guys that would set their foundation for the future. With the 3rd and 8th pick, Detroit could end up with a roster that looked like this:
- Cade Cunningham/Killian Hayes
- Bennedict Mathurin/Devonte’ Graham
- Saddiq Bey/Isaiah Livers
- Paolo Banchero/Marvin Bagley III
- Isaiah Stewart/Kelly Olynyk
The Pistons would probably have to decline team options on Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo to make up for the extra salary they’d be taking on with Graham, but this is a roster the Pistons could go to war with next season.
They’d be young, big, athletic and have plenty of scoring with room to grow, so this is a deal I would definitely consider for the Detroit Pistons.
The question is whether Grant is really a good fit for the Pelicans, but if they saw him as an upgrade who could help push them over the top, they might be willing to come off a pick they don’t really need.
What do you think, would you do this trade?