Report: Pistons trading Jerami Grant to Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers were reportedly interested in trading the Pelicans’ first-round pick to the Pistons for Jerami Grant.

Portland didn’t receive that protected pick with New Orleans surprisingly making the playoffs, leaving rumors the Trail Blazers would deal their own No. 7 pick for Grant.

Instead, Portland is trading a far less valuable first-rounder and a few second-rounders for Grant. The deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Trail Blazers get:

Pistons get:

Milwaukee still has Giannis Antetokounmpo locked in through 2025, so that limits the upside on that pick. As does the top-four protection just in case the bottom falls out on the Bucks. If it lands top four, it’ll go to the Pelicans and end Milwaukee’s obligation. It’s unclear whether Portland added a contingency if the pick doesn’t convey to Detroit.

A defensive-first forward, Grant should fit well on a Trail Blazers team trying to build back up quickly around Damian Lillard. Grant might even get his desired large offensive role as Lillard’s sidekick in Portland, though Anfernee Simons (restricted free agent) remains in the fold and the rest of the roster is a work in progress.

Grant could have signed off on this trade. He can become an unrestricted free agent next year, and the Trail Blazers probably didn’t trade for him without an understanding of what it’d take to keep him. (Though, having to surrender so little, maybe they did.) Six months after this trade becomes official, Grant will become eligible for a four-year, $112,654,080 contract extension and was reportedly seeking that full amount from his next team.

For now, Grant’s $20,955,000 salary will fit into the C.J. McCollum trade exception. By going this route rather than opening cap space,