One of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ trade targets is Portland Trail Blazers wing Jerami Grant. The Trail Blazers reportedly plan to get rid of Grant in the next year, which could work in the Lakers’ favor.
The Oregonian’s Aaron Fentress reported that the Trail Blazers will try to trade Grant in the next year.
“I would be surprised if Jerami or Anfernee Simons, that one of the two is not moved. I was told that that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp,” Fentress said on Sactown Sports 1140. “Both being gone might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”
The conundrum is what teams would want to acquire Grant knowing his current contract. He will enter the second year of a five-year, $160 million contract. Because his contract is so expensive, teams may also not want to part with draft assets.
Grant is on the Lakers’ radar, but even with the short window they have, they want a fair trade for him.
Trail Blazers Have ‘Steep Price’ for Jerami Grant: Report
Grant makes sense on the Lakers. He is a tall two-way wing in the prime of his career who can average 20 points a game. However, for that reason, the Trail Blazers won’t get rid of him for nothing. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha revealed on the July 25 episode of “Buha’s Block” what the Trail Blazers want for Grant.
“I’ve reported, and others have reported, Portland’s been wanting two first-round picks for Jerami Grant, and that is a steep price for the Lakers.”
The Lakers don’t have many first-round picks at their disposal at the moment. Hence, they’re being cautious with who they would acquire in return for them. Buha also added that the Trail Blazers have no interest in D’Angelo Russell.
“I’ve heard Portland doesn’t want D-Lo because they have a million guards anyway,” Buha said. “So, it just doesn’t really make sense for them.”
Russell’s appeal stems from that his contract will expire in 2025. Even so, the Trail Blazers have little use for him since they are in a rebuild, and their most promising young players – Shaedon Sharpe and Scott Henderson – play the same position.
Reading the tea leaves, it looks like working out a trade for Grant will be tricky but not impossible.
Zach Lowe Hints Jerami Grant Will Join Lakers
Though trading for Grant hasn’t happened yet, ESPN’s Zach Lowe hinted on the July 26 episode of “The Lowe Post” that it will one way or the other.
Did Zach Lowe just confirm Jerami Grant to the Lakers??
“Should we start printing the Jerami Grant-Lakers jerseys, by the way?” Lowe asked. “Should we just do it now? I think… I might order one.”
The Trail Blazers have no current intentions to win while the Lakers have every intention to win while they still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This may all come down to a staring contest between the two sides and seeing who blinks first.
Portland doesn’t have much use for Grant, but they can keep him and not worry about him affecting their win total much. The Lakers could potentially wait to see who else becomes available as the 2024-25 season continues. Both sides could provide what the other hopes for when it’s all said and done.
Matt John covers the NBA for Heavy.com. A Massachusetts native, he has covered the NBA since 2018, with stops at The Sporting News, FanSided, Basketball News and Basketball Insiders. More about Matt John
