Blazers Land Major Haul in Blockbuster Jerami Grant Trade Proposal

It's time for Portland to move on from the 30-year-old vet.

Nov 17, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) smiles during shoot around before playing in a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images / Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

It's time for the Portland Trail Blazers to move on from 30-year-old forward Jerami Grant.

The 6-foot-7 veteran has shown signs of decline this season. He's averaging 16.7 points on .381/.347/.813 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals in his 15 games for the club thus far. Those scoring and shooting numbers represent his worst since the 2019-20 NBA season, when he was a supplemental contributor to the Denver Nuggets.

Unfortunately, he's also the Trail Blazers' priciest player, and given his age and experience he makes little sense to keep around long-term. Portland's core players are all 24 or younger, and the 6-9 team should be looking to tank and accrue future draft assets.

Grant, son of Trail Blazers alum Harvey, is earning $29.8 million this season, second-most only to Deandre Ayton. He's under contract through 2027-28, when he has a $36.4 million player option.

Several rival franchises have been connected to Grant in recent days, but one under-the-radar potential landing spot that could make a lot of sense is the Memphis Grizzlies.

Granted, Memphis seems to be all set at power forward, with All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. locked in there. But the undersized Marcus Smart is currently serving as the team's starting small forward, and while he's a solid man-to-man defender on guards and smaller wings, Grant's versatile and more reliable 3-point marksmanship (this year's league average rate aside) could make him an appetizing replacement. In fact, Smart's $20.2 million deal for this season (he's also only under contract through next year) could be included in the offing, along with big man Brandon Clarke, a lightly protected future first round pick and a pair of second rounders. Grant would elevate the Grizzlies' floor with his spacing and switchability.

Smart and Clarke would essentially be trade flotsam. The oft-hurt Clarke, 28, is on a fairly reasonable deal, although it will keep him under contract through 2026-27. He's making $12.5 million a year. If he can stay on the floor, he should be movable at some point. The 30-year-old Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, is under contract through next season. He should still fetch plenty of value on the open market if Portland wants to deal him — or he could serve as a tutor to the Trail Blazers' young guards and wings if the Trail Blazers instead opt to retain him.

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