The Los Angeles Lakers will reshape their roster this summer to aim for a return to contention next season after a disappointing first-round exit in the 2024 Playoffs. Many reports suggest the Lakers are eyeing a major trade, with players such as Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young linked to the franchise. If the superstars aren’t available, could the Lakers look at a more reasonable option such as Jerami Grant?
The Portland Trail Blazers extended Jerami Grant to a five-year, $160 million contract last summer, as he spent the season tanking on the Blazers. The 30-year-old is a prime 3-and-D wing with offensive versatility for any contender, but his contract has supposedly caused his trade value to dip.
The Lakers have a lot of hurdles to overcome for a superstar trade for Mitchell or Young, but Grant could be a more reasonable target. Given his contract and the player assets the Lakers have, they could offer a package that doesn’t leave a dent in their future.
Trade Details
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jerami Grant
This deal would help the Lakers add a dependable forward-scoring option who plays both sides of the ball, while the Blazers add a young wing to complement their young core primarily full of guards.
Would The Trail Blazers Accept This Deal?
There are two ways the Blazers could look at a deal like this. Either they turn it down and wait for a higher bidder later in the season or maybe even next year, or they start finalizing their young core and preparing the team for possibly another tanking year.Â
Jerami Grant is arguably the best player on the Blazers roster at the moment, averaging 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season. Unfortunately, he has built a track record of not being consistent enough to be a No. 1 or No. 2 option on a contending team. He hasn’t made the Playoffs since he was a role player on the 2020 Denver Nuggets, which should incentivize him into getting into a winning situation like the Lakers.
The Blazers could hold firm until they get a first-round pick, but the options coming to them might be valuable enough. Rui Hachimura is a 25-year-old forward on a team built on a core of guards such as Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe. While Deandre Ayton is also on the team in the frontcourt, Hachimura would fit their timeline well.
If the Blazers also move off Malcolm Brogdon as they’re expected to, a gritty backup guard like Gabe Vincent would be a great veteran presence to have given his inspiring story and gritty play style.Â
This deal might not have all the bells and whistles, but it gives the Blazers an option to move off Grant’s large contract while enhancing their core. It also sets them up for another tanking season, but the 2025 Draft Class is expected to bring some potentially generational talent that could help the Blazers finalize their core.
What Would The Lakers Send For Jerami Grant?Â
Rui Hachimura showed flashes of being a legitimate starting-caliber wing after February of this season. He averaged 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds for the year, remaining an intriguing wing prospect in the league. Hachimura won’t progress into a superstar at this point, but he’s a versatile wing player who could fit the timeline of the young stars on the Blazers while fitting into their project.Â
The Blazers wouldn’t be interested in a guard like D’Angelo Russell and Jalen Hood-Schifino might be too much of a project for the Blazers to gamble on given they’re already scrounging for guard minutes to give the likes of Simons, Sharpe, and Henderson. Maxwell Lewis could be a valuable addition to the trade but the Lakers reportedly value him highly despite a shaky rookie season.
Vincent averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 assists in an injury-riddled season, but could be a useful expiring contract for the Blazers next season while bringing positive intangibles as a teammate and locker room guy.
Players such as Max Christie would likely be off the table as well, so the Blazers could only demand a pick from the Lakers. They don’t have any incentive to give that up unless it’s a more expansive trade that would see the Lakers further bolster their rotation. As it stands for Jerami Grant, the Lakers might have a low ceiling for what they’ll offer.
Offering first-round picks will be complicated for the Lakers, as they already have multiple picks blocked out due to the Stepien Rule. Sending an unprotected pick for Grant wouldn’t make sense but sending a protected pick would make future draft pick trades basically untenable for the Lakers. The maximum they’d add on top are additional seconds or at the max, a pick-swap.
What Grade Should This Trade Be?
Portland Trail Blazers: C+
The Trail Blazers could end up leaving with the shorter end of the stick in this deal in terms of pure return, due to the lack of tangible future assets for their best player. But the Grant contract will soon be an albatross around the team’s neck, as the team will have to play him extended minutes which would hurt their prospects of bottoming out for the 2025 NBA Draft. Moving off him and leaning into a young identity would be the best course of action for Portland.
The Blazers could wait and generate a higher return, but most contenders would be unwilling to commit the amount of money Grant is owed at the time. Not only will it worsen the depth of the teams but also could create financial complications under the new salary cap. If it’s a salary dump, the Blazers should be happy they’re not giving up a pick. But given how NBA teams get, they could capitalize more off someone else’s desperation down the road. Â
Los Angeles Lakers: B+
The Lakers materially improve their starting five by adding a player like Jerami Grant. It gives them optionality on the wing at the cost of an inconsistent Hachimura and Vincent who barely played for them last season. They would need to fill the hole of their backup point guard spot, but that’s a problem that can be fixed on the budget end of the market or by a Jalen Hood-Schifino leap.Â
The only reason this isn’t a trade worthy of an A is the risk with Grant. The Lakers have created flexibility for themselves by having good contracts on their roster around their superstar duo, but acquiring Grant could create a chokepoint for them with the second apron. It’d make team-building a challenge but would give the Lakers one of the strongest starting units in the NBA.Â
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