The Los Angeles Lakers are yet to make a trade or sign a free agent this offseason, but it appears that might be about to change. On the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast, NBA insider Zach Lowe suggested it could be time to start printing Jerami Grant-Lakers jerseys.
“So much of the focus has been on Klay (Thompson) and the Clippers and always the Lakers,” Lowe said. “Should we start printing the Jerami Grant-Lakers jerseys, by the way? Should we just do it now? … I might order one.”
Did Zach Lowe just confirm Jerami Grant to the Lakers?? pic.twitter.com/h7sgwd3oG0
— Jake (@playoffjake) July 27, 2024
Grant would be an interesting acquisition for the Lakers. While his Portland Trail Blazers finished the 2023-24 season with a woeful 21-61 record, he certainly wasn’t the one to blame for that. The 30-year-old averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in the campaign and shot 40.2% from beyond the arc.
A player with Grant’s skill set would fit in well alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and it’s why he has been linked with the Lakers for a while now. According to Trail Blazers insider Danny Marang, the Lakers almost landed him earlier this offseason too.
Marang reported that Klutch Sports, Grant’s representation, wanted to get a deal over the line and that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka initially agreed to the asking price of two first-round picks. Pelinka balked at the last minute, though, and I can understand why.
Grant is a very good player, but I am not sure he is worth two first-round picks. His addition would make the Lakers, who finished with a 47-35 record last season, better, but they still wouldn’t be one of the favorites to win it all for me. So, giving up two valuable draft picks might not be all that ideal, if you still have to make another move to become a serious title contender.
The problem for the Lakers, though, is that there aren’t a lot of good players available for trade at the moment. Grant might well be the best one out there and they might have to bite the bullet eventually.
Lakers Insider Explained Why The Team Has Not Made A Trade Yet
Lakers fans have been clamoring for their team to make a move, but it would appear there is a good reason why nothing has been done thus far. According to team insider Jovan Buha, numerous Lakers players have negative trade value across the NBA.
“D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, they have somewhere between neutral to negative trade value across the league,” said Buha. “There are certain teams that have interest in maybe one of those guys, but there are very few if any teams that have interest in multiple of those guys, and that’s ultimately been why the Lakers have not been able to find a deal.”
I am a bit surprised about Rui Hachimura not having positive trade value in the market, but not the rest. Russell has come up short in the postseason, Vanderbilt doesn’t contribute much offensively, and Gabe Vincent was injured for much of last season. Those draft picks are the only assets that teams want from the Lakers, apart from the stars and Austin Reaves, but the front office is just very hesitant to part with them.
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