The Jerami Grant trade buzz is getting louder and louder as Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was the latest insider to report that the two-way forward is indeed drawing interest from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Grant is the Portland Trail Blazers‘ leading scorer over the last two seasons. He won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“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 “The Good Word with Vincent Goodwill” podcast. “To my knowledge, [Jerami Grant] is someone that’s been on the radar.”
Fischer’s report came on the heels of ESPN’s Zach Lowe strongly hinting that the Lakers trading for Grant is inevitable.
On the July 26 episode of “The Lowe Post,” Lowe strongly hinted that the Lakers trading for Grant is inevitable.
“Should we start printing the Jerami Grant-Lakers jerseys, by the way?” Lowe asked on the July 26 episode of “The Lowe Post.” “Should we just do it now? I think… I might order one.”
A 36.4% career 3-point shooter and a reliable 20-point scorer over the last seasons with the Trail Blazers, the 6-foot-7 Grant is the ideal complementary player for the Lakers, who can create offense and play defense.
LA Daily’s Anthony Irwin reported on July 3 that the Lakers have been unwilling to meet Portland’s asking price.
According to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report, the Blazers were asking for the Lakers’ 2029 and 2031 first-round draft picks.
Jerami Grant Could Be Moved Before Training Camp
With the Trail Blazers focused on rebuilding with their young core of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Advija and Donovan Clingan, Grant is one of the veterans they are looking to move before the training camp, according to Oregonian’s Aaron Fentress.
Guard Anfernee Simons is the other player they are willing to give up for the right price.
“Both being gone, that might be different,” Fentress said on “The Drive Guys” on Sactown Sports 1140. “They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”
The 30-year-old Grant is entering the second season of a five-year deal worth $160 million with a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season.
D’Angelo Russell Draws No Interest From Trail Blazers
The Lakers might have to rope in a third team as the Trail Blazers are uninterested in point guard D’Angelo Russell, the salary ballast in the potential Grant trade, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
“I’ve heard Portland doesn’t want D-Lo because they have a million guards anyway,” Buha said on his podcast “Buha’s Block” on July 26. “So, it just doesn’t really make sense for them.”
Buha added that the Lakers have been shopping the former All-Star point guard since he opted. But Russell is among the group of the Lakers trade assets that have neutral to negative value, according to Buha.
While the draft pick compensation and Russell’s inclusion remain the sticking point in the Lakers-Blazers trade talks, Japanese forward Rui Hachimura “has some appeal” to the Trail Blazers, according to Highkin.
Hachimura will enter the second season of a three-year, $51 million deal that will pay him $17 million this upcoming season.
The Lakers can also pull off a Grant trade without Russell with Hachimura and an additional salary, plus picks.
