Should the Detroit Pistons pursue this former player in free agency?

The Detroit Pistons should not pursue Jerami Grant in free agency

Even though a reunion with Grant might sound good on paper, there are some reasons the Detroit Pistons should look elsewhere.

Grant is about to get a raise, possibly a max contract, and he is 28-years-old, so even though he’s still in his prime, the Pistons would be stuck paying a premium for the final years of it.

Let’s also not forget that the Pistons stunk with Grant and basically have the same team, so there is little evidence that he is the guy to help drag them out of the cellar. Yes, he is playing a different role in Portland, but the Pistons don’t have a Damian Lillard, so would Grant really be comfortable taking a back seat to younger players who aren’t as good as he is?

We saw last night that Grant can still carry a team offensively, as he dropped 36 on the Pistons, so it likely wouldn’t be long before he was the focal point of the offense again and I am not sure that is something Detroit should be interested in.

The Pistons need help at small forward and already have two tweeners in Bogs and Bey who can’t really defend quicker wings. At this point in his career, Grant is better suited to play the four, although you could argue that defensive versatility from the forwards is more important than a position and Grant has shown he is versatile.

He’s not a perfect fit defensively, and if the Pistons are going to spend most of their cap space on one guy, they need him to be the right fit. They have enough power forwards already and need more of a quicker wing who can defend all over the perimeter.

I think Jerami Grant is an interesting case, as he is a very good role player who theoretically fills some needs and was a great teammate in Detroit, but his future salary and some of the questions about fit may be enough to make Detroit look elsewhere.