Blazers Desired Return in Jerami Grant Trade Talks Revealed: Report

Matt Levine | 4 Hours Ago

The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to be one of the most active teams at the trade deadline this season, acting as likely sellers. Portland has a few pieces on their roster that opposing teams will be interested in going after, giving them a leg up in potential negotiations.

One of those players is veteran forward Jerami Grant. Grant has been on the trade block since this past summer, with the Trail Blazers looking to move him for future assets.

With the rebuild that Portland is undergoing, Grant no longer fits the bill for the timeline. However, Portland has had some trouble trading Grant due to their extremely high asking price.

If the Trail Blazers are going to move the veteran, it seems that they will hold firm on the return that they desire. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Portland is still looking for two first-round draft picks in any deal for Grant.

"Elsewhere in the frontcourt, forward Jerami Grant has drawn consistent trade interest since signing a five-year, $160 million contract, but there’s been a difference in opinion on his value. Portland has been unwilling to trade Grant without two first-round picks in return, while interested teams have only been willing to consider parting with one first-round pick. Some teams also view Grant’s contract as a neutral asset."

The Trail Blazers almost traded Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers over the offseason but the two sides couldn't get over the finish line. Portland asked for two first-round picks while Los Angeles was only willing to part with one.

The biggest hindrance in any Grant trade is his contract. As Scotto mentions, many teams around the NBA view his deal as a bad asset so even giving one first-rounder for it would be risky.

The forward has four years left on his deal, entering this season scheduled to make $29.7 million. His salary increases every year, with his final year scheduled to pay him $36.4 million as a 33-year-old.

Grant has shown that he can still perform very well but for a price over $30 million, most teams want star-level production. Any team that takes on Grant will be doing so under the assumption that he can provide them with about 20 points a game and strong defense.

It remains to be seen if Portland will trade Grant but it feels like the pairing between the two sides may be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

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