For the last several months, there has been endless speculation that the Portland Trail Blazers were going to try and trade for Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons.
This speculation has grown in recent days, as Portland may be getting a new ownership group. Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky reportedly put a $2 billion dollar offer on the table to buy the team from the Paul Allen Trust.
The Trail Blazers have of course said that they are not for sale, but two billion is a lot of money, especially when Paul Allen originally purchased the team for $70 million. That’s not a bad return on investment and it’s going to be hard to walk away from, especially considering the team is currently going through one of its most tumultuous periods.
Though nothing is set yet, it looks like the Trail Blazers could get a new ownership group to go along with a new front office after GM Neil Olshey was canned for workplace misconduct.
The Blazers are a bit of a mess and have little other than Damian Lillard and the 7th pick to fall back on, which is why the current ownership group may end up caving and deciding now is as good a time as any to sell the team.
So what does all of this mean for Jerami Grant and the Detroit Pistons?
Detroit Pistons: New owners want to make splashy moves
I am certain that Phil Knight and Alan Smolinsky don’t want to buy an NBA team to immediately go through a lengthy rebuild, which is probably what they need.
The Blazers would probably be better off trading Damian Lillard now, getting a treasure chest of assets and starting over around restricted free-agent guard Anfernee Simons.
But Lillard is not only the face of the organization but a guy who puts butts in seats, so I am sure a new ownership group is not going to want to trade him and watch their season ticket sales plummet in year one.
It’s far more likely that they will try to reload around him to keep fans interested in the first few years as they try and retool the roster.
If the Trail Blazers are sold, it is far more likely that they will try and trade for a guy like Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons, as he is not only a good player, but also Lillard’s friend and they will be desperate to keep Dame happy considering he’s the franchise’s main asset at this point.
New owners generally come in and try to shake things up right away, get some good press and get the fans on board, so I could see Portland being major players this summer if the sale goes through.
That could include trading for Grant, but also moves like clearing cap space to make a run at Zach LaVine or another big time free agent. What better way to make a splash in year one than to get your franchise back to the playoffs and into contention around the team’s most popular player?
Stay tuned, as the Portland situation could have a big effect on free agency and trades this offseason.