Jerami Grant trade qualifications: Pistons sent to Trail Blazers for future first-round pick, report says

The Detroit Pistons have agreed to trade forward Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick (via the Milwaukee Bucks and protected numbers 1-4) and multiple pick trades. by Adrian Wojnarowski.

Notably, the Pistons and Blazers have traded second-round picks in this year’s draft. The Pistons are now No. 36 overall, while the Blazers are No. 46 overall. Additionally, the Pistons will receive a 2025 second-round pick from the Blazers and a 2026 second-round pick (more favorable between the Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans). Detroit will also receive a $21 million trade exception as part of the deal.

Grant is entering the final year of his contract and was not a long-term piece for the rebuilding Pistons, who will now move on with Cade Cunningham and $43 million in cap space in free agency. Moving Grant always made sense, but it’s surprising the Pistons haven’t been able to pull off more returns. Perhaps they could have been a desperate contender if they traded Grant at the deadline last season.

However, it’s worth noting that Grant is eligible for an extension this offseason and will seek a deal worth up to $112 million over four years. Also, he wants to be a standout offensive player. There were probably few teams willing to pay Grant and give him the role he wanted, which could have resulted in low market value. The Blazers were obviously one of them, and now they’ve added a versatile forward to the mix as they try to reorganize around Damian Lillard.

Let’s rate the trade:

The pistons receive:

• 2022 second-round pick via Portland
• 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee (protected numbers 1-4)
• 2025 second-round pick via Portland
• 2026 second-round pick (top pick between Portland and New Orleans)
• $21 million business exception

The Jerami Grant-Detroit Pistons partnership was never long for this world. When Grant signed his three-year, $60 million deal in the summer of 2020, he wanted a chance to prove that he was more than just a defender and 3-point shooter. The Pistons wanted someone who could absorb offensive responsibility and had business value in the back end.

While the last two seasons didn’t deliver much in terms of wins, the pairing ended up being a positive for both sides. Grant proved that he could play a bigger role and earned an even bigger payday in the process. The Pistons got a bunch of extra draft picks for someone who was never going to be a part of their long-term plans.

At first glance, this seems like an underperformance for Grant, and it’s fair to wonder if the Pistons could have gotten more for a desperate contender had they moved him at last season’s trade deadline. However, any team that traded Grant would have to be willing to pay for his next contract and give him the kind of role he was looking for on offense, and the fact that they accepted this deal is a good indication of what kind of offers they were. . out there.

In the end, the Pistons got the first round they were looking for, though they won’t be able to use it for three years, a few extra opportunities in the second round cleared up a ton of salary-cap space. It’s unclear what, if anything, they’ll do with that flexibility this summer, but they’re better placed for a future that should be bright with Cade Cunningham at the helm.

Grade B

The Trail Blazers receive:

• 2022 second-round pick via Detroit

After eight straight playoff appearances, the Trail Blazers hugged the tank last season following Damian Lillard’s abdominal surgery. Out were CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., Robert Covington and Norman Powell, resulting in a 2-21 season finish and the No. 7 overall pick.

Nobody wants this to be a multiyear rebuild, though, especially with Lillard now on the wrong side of 30. The roster is essentially a blank slate outside of Lillard and a few young players, and the plan is to build a team that can compete for a playoff spot again right away.

The first step was to go out and acquire Grant, whom Lillard has been advocating for, according to Wojnarowski. Grant should be a perfect fit as a versatile forward who will immediately improve his porous defense and can take some of the offensive responsibility off Lillard’s shoulders. Having a real scoring threat on the wing will be a nice change of pace for the Blazers, who have relied on a small backcourt for so long.

Best of all for the Blazers, they didn’t have to give up much to get a player who would make their team better. A first-round pick three years from now means a lot more to a rebuilding Pistons team than it does to a Blazers team trying to win now. Second-round picks and trades are just whatever.

The next course of business for the Blazers is figuring out how to add even more talent to the roster. Grant is a great start, but he and Lillard won’t be able to do it alone. To that end, it’s worth noting that the team is hanging up the No. 7 pick to try to add a veteran. OG Anunoby is a potential option, according to chris haynes.

Grade A-