According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Detroit Pistons have agreed to change forward Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick (through the Milwaukee Bucks and protected numbers 1-4) and multiple pick exchanges.
Above all, 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. In addition, the Pistons will receive a 2025 second-round pick from the Blazers and a 2026 second-round pick (the most favorable among the New Orleans Blazers and Pelicans). Detroit will also receive a $ 21 million trade exception as part of the deal.
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Grant is entering the final year of his contract and was not a long-term piece for the Reconstructing Pistons who will now move on with Cade Cunningham and $ 43 million in free agency space. Moving to Grant always made sense, but it’s surprising that the Pistons couldn’t order a comeback anymore. Maybe they could have a desperate contender if they changed Grant to the deadline last season.
However, it is worth noting that Grant is eligible for an extension this offseason and will seek a deal worth up to $ 112 million over four years. In addition, he wants to be a prominent offensive player. There were probably few teams willing to pay Grant and give him the role he wanted, which could have resulted in low commercial value. The Blazers were obviously one of them, and have now added a versatile striker to the mix as they try to re-use Damian Lillard.
We evaluate the trade:
The pistons receive:
- 2022 second round selection through Portland
- 2025 First Round Selection Via Milwaukee (Nos. 1-4 Protected)
- 2025 second round selection via Portland
- 2026 second round selection (best selection between Portland and New Orleans)
- $ 21 million trade exception
The Jerami Grant-Detroit Pistons partnership was never long for this world. When Grant signed his three-year, $ 60 million contract in the summer of 2020, he wanted to have a chance to prove he was more than a defender and a 3-point shooter. The Pistons wanted someone who could absorb offensive responsibility and have commercial value at the bottom.
Although the last two seasons did not mean much victory, the pair ended up being positive for both parties. Grant proved he could play a more important role and earned an even bigger payday in the process. The Pistons got a lot of extra draft picks for someone who would never be part of their long-term plans.
At first glance, this seems like a low performance for Grant, and it’s fair to wonder if the Pistons could have gotten more in exchange for a desperate contender if they had moved him to last season’s change deadline. However, any team that switched to Grant should be willing to pay for his next contract and give him the type of paper he was looking for on offense, and the fact that they have accepted this deal is a good indication of what types of deals were there. over there.
In the end, the Pistons got the first round they were looking for, although they won’t be able to use it for three years, a few extra opportunities in the second round and they cleared up a lot of space. It’s unclear what they’ll do, at least, with that flexibility this summer, but they’re better placed for a future that should be bright with Cade Cunningham leading the way.
Grade: B
Trail Blazers receive:
- Second round selection of 2022 through Detroit
After eight consecutive playoff appearances, the Trail Blazers hugged the tank last season after Damian Lillard’s abdominal surgery. CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., Robert Covington and Norman Powell came out, which resulted in a 2-21 close to the season and the No. 7 overall pick.
No one wants this to be a multi-year rebuild, but especially with Lillard now on the wrong side of the 30s. The list is essentially a blank slate out of Lillard and some young players, and the plan is to build a team that can compete from new for a playoff spot immediately.
The first step was to go out and acquire Grant, which Lillard has defended, according to Wojnarowski. Grant should fit in perfectly as a versatile striker who will immediately improve his porous defense and can take some of the offensive responsibility off Lillard’s shoulders. Having a real goal threat on the side will be a good change of pace for the Blazers, who have relied on a small backfield for so long.
Best of all, the Blazers haven’t had to give up much to get a player to improve their team. A first-round pick three years later means a lot more to a Pistons team in rebuilding than it does to a Blazers team trying to win now. Elections and second-round exchanges are whatever.
The next business course for the Blazers is to figure out how to add even more talent to the list. Grant is a good start, but he and Lillard can’t do it alone. That’s why it’s worth noting that the team is hanging up No. 7 pick to try to add a veteran. OG Anunoby is a potential choice, according to Chris Haynes.
Grade: A-