Why a Blazers' Jerami Grant Trade Could Be Tough

Courtney Tate | 5 Hours Ago

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The Portland Trail Blazers are in a rebuilding phase after trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, resulting in lots of buzz about potential moves the team could make before the trade deadline in February.

The Blazers have a distinct focus on developing their young core including players like Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and the newcomers from the Lillard trade. However, it’s clear this team is still missing a few pieces to make this a contending franchise and should look to seek more depth in a supporting cast in the coming weeks.

One player in particular who makes sense to try and package for a trade for the Portland Trailblazers is 30-year-old Jerami Grant. The two-way forward made a strong asset for the Blazers, but the massive contract he’s under makes it hard to free up space to bring in more talent for this roster.

Grant recently signed a contract extension valued at $160 million locking him in as a Blazer for the next five seasons. Trading him could give the Blazers more cap flexibility allowing them to either sign young, fresh talent or make a push to look in other directions.

Grant is an attractive asset on the trade market largely in part because of his ability to compete at a high level both offensively and defensively. He can score big-time buckets at the rim and beyond the arc while being able to defend around the perimeter and inside.

He comes with a load of experience being able to provide leadership and mentorship to younger players in the league, along with bringing playoff experience having played for the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.

Although he makes a great asset for Portland, the Blazers are in real need of more depth, and a trade involving Grant could seemingly work. There are challenges that arise when positioning the veteran forward on the trading block.

The obvious reasons being contract obligation issues. His salary being relatively high poses a red flag for teams of interest, as they will need to either match his salary or take on a significant contract.

There are also a limited number of teams in the NBA who has the cap space to even entertain a trade this complex.

Teams who could be interested in acquiring Grant could potentially include the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, and the Detroit Pistons. The next few weeks could be extremely interesting for Blazer fans, as the team looks for more ways to develop their young roster.

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