Blazers Asking For Steep Price in Potential Jerami Grant Trade

Will the Portland star find a new home this year?

Dec 1, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) drives on Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images / Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Will the Portland Trail Blazers be able to find a new home for starting power forward Jerami Grant this year?

That's been a question on the minds of several rival executives, as well as Portland fans.

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the reason Grant hasn't been moved so far may have more to do with team general manager Joe Cronin's asking price than Grant's relative value across the league — though that could be depreciating a bit these days, too. Cronin is demanding two first round draft selections in any exchange for Grant.

This output is exactly what he wanted over the summer. According to Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily, Cronin had been asking for two draft picks even in August, a tally that a rival Western Conference executive balked at during the offseason.

Read More: Blazers GM Joe Cronin Slammed by Anonymous Mat

Two first round picks is a heavy price to pay for a non-All-Star earning $29.7 million this season. In his 11th NBA season, the 6-foot-7 Syracuse product is averaging 15.8 points on .386/.358/.817 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 blocks per bout — that output represents Grant's lowest since his first season with the Denver Nuggets, 2019-20.

Grant has long been floated as a potential trade fit for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been slumping of late with limited protection along the wing or perimeter. Though he's more of a wing than a traditional power forward, his switchability as a swingman would give the Lakers a lot of veteran defensive help.

Grant's ability to nail triples at a high volume (he's taking 6.2 3-point tries a night) could endear him to Los Angeles on offense. The Lakers are taking just 33.2 long range attempts a game this year — a number that would of course rank among the most frequent in the league a decade ago, but in today's pace-and-space era is just the 26th-best. Los Angeles is connecting on 34.5 percent of its long range tries, good for just 20th-best in the league.

Other pseudo-contending teams that could use Grant's services include the Milwaukee Bucks, his old club Denver, the Sacramento Kings, and perhaps the Miami Heat.

That's not to say that these squads will necessarily be amenable to a deal, especially for that asking price. But Portland, clearly looking to prioritize younger players than the 30-year-old Grant, needs to sell.

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