Lakers Eyeing Possible Trade For Jerami Grant

Per a new report, L.A. might be interested in adding the veteran Detroit Pistons forward.

Your Los Angeles Lakers are contemplating making some moves. Beyond a possible game-changing trade for Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons, a potential smaller deal is also being considered.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the Lakers are eyeing a possible trade for Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant. Grant is currently sidelined after suffering a UCL sprain in his right thumb (per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com), and is set to be re-assessed six weeks from now.

Charania notes that "dozens of teams" reach out to the league-worst Pistons on a weekly basis, in the hopes prying away the club's best player. Across 24 games this season, Grant boasts averages of 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for the 4-22 Pistons.

Grant inked a three-year, $60 million contract with Detroit as a free agent in a sign-and-trade in 2020, and was a finalist for Most Improved Player of the 2020-21 NBA season.

Charania notes that Grant is eligible for a four-year, $112 contract extension during the 2022 offseason.

To match contracts in such a deal, the Lakers would most likely want to include the $9.5 million salary of current starting wing Talen Horton-Tucker, the $5 million salary of injured guard Kendrick Nunn, and one of LA's many players on veteran minimum contracts. The 21-year-old Horton-Tucker and his promise for the future would be the biggest asset Detroit would be gaining, but the Lakers would almost certainly also include future draft picks (most likely either their 2024, 2025, 2027 or 2028 future first-round selection) to sweeten the pot. 

Unfortunately, due to the Lakers' current top-heavy salary structure, THT and Nunn are the sole players earning more than the veteran's minimum beyond the LA star trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

Given how coveted Grant is around the NBA, it's hard to realistically see the Lakers presenting the most desirable trade package. One Lakers-centric wrinkle: should Grant insist on being moved to the glamor market of Los Angeles, the Pistons may want to present themselves as being player-friendly to future potential free agents even when it comes to accommodating their stars.

A 27-year-old Grant at the peak of his powers would be a terrific fit for this LA roster, a switchable defender who can convincingly guard shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards, and who can hit well from the three-point line. The 6'8" forward out of Syracuse is a career 34.6% three-point shooter on 2.9 attempts a game. During the last two seasons, Grant boosted his output to 6.1 triple attempts in the 2020-21 season and 5.3 looks so far this year.