Jerami Grant is off to Portland, but the return is unexpected

On the eve of the NBA Draft, the somewhat expected move occured, Jerami Grant was traded by the Detroit Pistons to the Portland Trail Blazers. What they received in return was not expected: the 2025 first round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks.

According to multiple reports, Pistons forward Jerami Grant has been traded, as had been rumored,  to the Trail Blazers. No, Detroit did not get Portland’s No. 7 pick in the draft for him, they did not even get an additional pick for this year.

Using the latest information, this is the trade:

Detroit gets a bunch of things, but most of it comes no earlier than three years from now.

Grant was entering the last year of a three-year $60 million contract in one of general manager Troy Weaver’s first moves. It paid off, as Grant has been the Pistons leading scorer the past two seasons.

But Grant was eligible for a contract extension for four years and up to $112 million this off-season. The Pistons had to make a decision this summer if Grant, 28, was going to be part of their future or not.

At the February trade deadline, Weaver had said the offers for Grant were not great, and that he was curious to see how he played with Cade Cunningham. Turned out, Grant played well with the No.1 overall pick, averaging 20 points in 15 games together at the end of the season.

But most of the Pistons core are in their early 20s, much younger than Grant. And while he was out with a hand injury for half the season, Saddiq Bey had done well in Grant’s power forward slot. Veteran Kelly Olynyk can also play power forward, and some people think 6-foot-9 center Isaiah Stewart may eventually be better as a ‘4’.

What is the immediate effect of the Jerami Grant trade for Detroit Pistons?

For Pistons fans concerned about this upcoming season, the trade means two things:

• Detroit has a much earlier position in the second round, so they have a better chance at getting an impact player.
• The Pistons took on no salary in the deal (probably a big reason there was not a huge return), which means they have $43 million in salary cap space. That space could grow as Detroit has four players they hold club options on, and Marvin Bagley III is a restricted free agent.

The Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks probably hate this trade more than anyone.

The Pistons now can be major players on the free agent market. They can throw money at Deandre Ayton, Miles Bridges or Jalen Brunson and probably have cap space to land two of them.

They can also trade for toxic contracts to net them even more draft picks or young players.

For those hoping Grant would get them a high draft pick this season, the return is disappointing. But if you think Weaver is done wheeling and dealing, you have not been following the Pistons closely the last couple of years.