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Recent words from ESPN’s Zach Lowe may suggest that he thinks it’s only a matter of time until Jerami Grant gets traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Should we start printing the Jerami Grant-Lakers jerseys, by the way?” Lowe posed. “Should we do it right now? I believe we — I may purchase one.” Grant has been linked to the Lakers in trade rumors for quite some time. However, one executive from a team in the Western Conference said early this offseason that Los Angeles may not be prepared to give up a lot to acquire the 30-year-old forward.
“Jerami Grant can play, he is a shooter, he is a good, active defender when he is engaged, he is going to do a lot of things that help your team,” the manager indicated to Heavy Sports. “But he is the third choice. He has put up some impressive stats over the last several years, but he has done so on horrible teams.
No one will make a big deal about a player who offers you 20 (points) on a bad squad and 13 (points) on a good one. “Not under his contract. He will make $30 (million) next year and $32 the next year. Then he has another two years. You are unable to pay your third option of $34.35 million.
Some recent comments from Portland Trail Blazers reporter Danny Marang also offered a possible look behind the curtain.
“As I understand it, Klutch was hoping to help facilitate a deal there, and they got the Lakers to say, yeah, they’d be willing to trade two ones for Jerami, and then when it came time to do it, [Rob] Pelinka balked,” according to Marang.
While the Trail Blazers didn’t accomplish much of significance during the 2023-24 campaign, Portland concluded the regular season with the lowest record of any club in the Western Conference at 21-61. Grant was a bright spot as one of the team’s greatest offensive players.
After all, he was second on the team in points per game (21.0), trailing only Anfernee Simons, and finished with the second-best 3-point percentage on the roster (40.2).
Last season, Grant was one of only 12 players in the NBA to average 20 or more points per game and shoot 40 percent or better from deep. Some of the league’s finest scorers, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant, made the short list.
Grant’s versatility allows him to have an impact on defense in addition to being a decent scorer. Standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 210 pounds, he has the tools to hold his own.
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