ESPN’s Zach Lowe’s recent comments may indicate that he believes Jerami Grant will be moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in the near future.
“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 rumours for quite some time. However, early this offseason, one executive from a Western Conference team hinted that Los Angeles may not be prepared to give up much 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. If Portland wants the Lakers, the [Miami] Heat, or any of these teams to sign him, they must acknowledge that.”
Danny Marang, a Portland Trail Blazers reporter, has made some statements that may provide a glimpse behind the scenes.
“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.
“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 struggled throughout the 2023-24 season, finishing with the poorest regular-season record 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 make an effect on defence in addition to being a competent scorer. He is 6-foot-7 and weighs 210 pounds, giving him the physical capabilities to compete in a variety of positions.
Grant’s ability to score the ball would make him an intriguing matchup with Lakers players James and Anthony Davis. His ability to space the floor appears to open up driving lanes for the two, making their life easier on the attacking end of the court.
A few Lakers supporters are hoping that Lowe wasn’t joking when he said it would be time to print some Grant-Lakers shirts.
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