LAKERS TRADE UPDATE: Lakers GM Rob Pelinka In an Intensive Talks Reportedly Over Wages to Land $160 Million Wing Following Anthony Davis Huge Setback – Deal Already Agreed Talks Are over Wages

The Los Angeles Lakers have limited ability to add extra aid through trade. One of the few choices they could explore is Portland Trail Blazers wing Jerami Grant, and ESPN’s Zach Lowe intimated that a deal could be imminent.

On the July 26 episode of “The Lowe Post,” Lowe intimated that the Lakers would almost certainly trade for Grant.

“Should we start printing the Jerami Grant-Lakers jerseys, by the way?” Lowe asked. “Should we do it right now? I think… “I might order one.”
Grant, 30, does not have a long-term position on the Trail Blazers’ rebuilding roster. He will start the second year of a five-year, $160 million contract. The Lakers have players with comparable salaries, including D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt. What the Trail Blazers will want for in exchange for Grant remains to be seen.

Because they fall under the NBA’s second tax bracket, they can combine their contracts to match Grant’s in a trade. Grant has averaged 20 points per game over the last four seasons, yet he has never made the All-Star squad. He has also played for a postseason contender, such as the Denver Nuggets, who advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2020.

Trail Blazers have a steep price for Jerami Grant, according to NBA executive.

A Western Conference executive explained Grant’s plea to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. However, he also explained the difficulty in acquiring him.

 

“Jerami Grant can play; he is a shooter, a terrific, active defender, and when he is engaged, he will do a lot of things to help your team. But he’s a third choice. He has put up some impressive stats over the last several years, but he has done so on horrible teams. No one is going to make a major trade for a player who provides you 20 (points) on a bad team and 13 (points) on a good one,” the executive told Deveney in a July 7 report.

The executive went on to say that Grant’s high cost is a concern.

“Not under his contract. He will make $30 million next year. $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, Heat, or any of these teams to sign him, they must acknowledge that.”

The Trail Blazers do not want D’Angelo Russell for Jerami Grant.

Another issue with the proposed Grant-Lakers trade is who the Trail Blazers want back. Though Grant may be on the table, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha detailed why Portland does not want Russell back in a deal.

“I’ve heard Portland doesn’t want D-Lo because they have a million guards anyway,” Buha remarked on his podcast “Buha’s Block” on July 26. “So, it just doesn’t really make sense for them.”

Russell’s pitch in a trade is that his contract expires in 2025. However, he would not fit in well with the Trail Blazers either. The Lakers and Trail Blazers might potentially attract more teams. Russell would be a better match for a winning club, such as the Lakers. However, it’s evident that they desire greater assistance.