Lakers Finally Lands Jeremi Grant Without Giving Up First-Round Draft Picks In Mock Trade Idea

The Los Angeles Lakers are arguably the only rotational player they added this summer in youngster Dalton Knecht, thus they aren’t starting the 2024–25 NBA season with a big offseason addition. Though they did not demonstrate that drive in their summer roster building, the team will want to fight for a title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Still, a late-summer move might be able to save their offseason.

Together with a seasoned wing player like Jerami Grant, the Portland Trail Blazers have a dynamic young core of players and are in the midst of a comprehensive rebuild. Insofar as it doesn’t eat up long-term cap space, the Blazers may be motivated to let Grant leave for a low price given the terms and length of his long-term contract, which ends in 2028. The ideal offer to lure Grant and his costly contract out of Portland might come from the Lakers.

The Lakers add a 3-and-D scorer who can contribute as a 20-point scorer whenever required alongside his strong all-around defensive game. While they sacrifice two guards and a well-fitting Rui Hachimura, they need to make a deal like this to have a chance at being competitive next season. The Blazers get interesting players and a second-round pick which could land in the 30s given the uncertainties around the Clippers.

The Lakers Finally Add A Veteran Wing

The LeBron James era has seen the Lakers splash for a superstar center like Anthony Davis and a supposed superstar point guard like Russell Westbrook. Given James’ excellence as a forward, the team hasn’t looked to reinforce that aspect of the team outside of role-players in the last six years. LeBron’s physical decline is unignorable, meaning it might be time to add someone like Grant on the wing to allow LeBron’s focus to be on ball-handling and creation.

Grant averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season, greatly developing his offensive arsenal over the last few seasons. He’s a competent 3-level scorer who can play aggressive defense when required. He hasn’t been on a Playoff team since 2020, so the Lakers will be taking a bet that Grant can overcome some of the bad habits in his shot selection which have been ingrained over years with the Pistons and Trail Blazers.