The Los Angeles Lakers still have time to better their roster, even though the season is still a few months away. It might require them to trade both of their tradeable first-round picks and salary fillers, but with LeBron James still playing at this level and Anthony Davis being one of the top players in the NBA, maximizing their window seems to be the right thing to do.
Jerami Grant has been a rumored trade target, and given his situation with the Portland Trail Blazers, it makes sense why he’s on the market. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes it’s just a matter of time before he gets moved, predicting that Grant will be traded by the 2025 trade deadline.
“Jerami Grant became an obvious candidate as soon as Damian Lillard requested a trade out of Portland—the day after Grant agreed to his five-year, $160 million deal last summer.
“Both parties have played nice since, but there must be an expiration date on that. Grant may not be blocking some young, high-end forward from seeing the floor, but this rebuild would still be easier to navigate without his contract on the books,” Buckley wrote on August 2. “As for the swingman himself, one can assume he’d prefer not to spend his 30s buried deep down the league standings.”
Grant Has Been on the Lakers ‘Radar’
With nearly every impact player already signed with different teams in free agency, the trade market being quiet outside of Lauri Markkanen rumors, and more, the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have many other options besides Grant.
His contract is a bit worrisome, as he’s entering the second year of a five-year, $160.0 million deal, but he might be the best player available for them to land.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Grant is a player who’s been on the Lakers’ “radar.”
“To your point, yes, the Lakers have, I think, limited options of players who are actually available, who are difference-makers that they could foreseeably go and acquire,” Fischer said on July 31. “To my knowledge, [Jerami Grant] is someone that’s been on the radar.”
The Lakers would have to get creative with what they’d send to the Portland Trail Blazers, but there’s a way for them to match money for Grant.
Trail Blazers Want to Trade Grant
After finishing last in the Western Conference with a 21-61 record, the Portland Trail Blazers are still a few years away, at the very least, from competing. That could be the biggest factor in wanting to trade Grant outside of his massive contract.
According to The Oregonian’s Aaron Fentress, the Trail Blazers would like to trade Grant or Anfernee Simons, calling it their “goal” on an episode of “Sactown Sports 1140.”
“I would be surprised if Jerami or Anfernee Simons, that one of the two is not moved. I was told that that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp,” Fentress said on July 31. “Both being gone might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”
If that’s their goal, the Los Angeles Lakers could benefit from the Trail Blazers wanting to move him, as his price could eventually be what they’re comfortable with.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
