The Portland Trail Blazers are amidst one of their worst seasons in a long time. The team currently sits 12th in the Western Conference and will soon be eliminated from playoff contentions for the first time in nearly a decade. Star point guard Damian Lillard suffered from an abdominal injury that has kept him out this season and the Blazers have traded a lot of Dame’s supporting cast over the winter.
C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell were the two big names to go, alongside Robert Covington. These moves allowed the Trail Blazers to open up cap space for this summer as they look to re-tool around Damian Lillard for the one last time before the star is out of his prime.
Center Jusuf Nurkic has still stayed on the team, with a new core emerging featuring him, guard Anfernee Simons, and Josh Hart, who was traded to Portland for McCollum. Nurkic and Hart have struck up a relationship and posted cryptic photos alongside Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant.
Josh Hart x Jusuf Nurkic x Jerami Grant. 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/uBRjvqs1BH
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 22, 2022
This comes off a report by The Athletic where they discussed Portland’s interest in acquiring Grant over the summer. Grant is the star in Detroit, but the team needs to build around younger stars in Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, and others. He was linked with a trade all season before the deadline passed and he remained a Piston.
As Portland would have to trade for the under-contract Grant, they can use the picks they have collected through their recent trades. The Pistons will expect a high-potential youngster, and it seems the Trail Blazers have just the guy in Simons.
Detroit has needed another guard next to Cade, as Killian Hayes hasn’t worked out as well as they would have liked. Simons would slot in perfectly in that situation, while Grant would be the perfect wing to have next to Dame. The off-season will be closely monitored for any rumblings on this move.
