Jerami Grant is a multi-faceted multi-position star in the making
The Detroit Pistons’ 6’9″ Jerami Grant can play either forward position and defend guards through centers, so it’s no surprise he was one of Cronin’s prime rumored trade targets leading up to the trade deadline.
The rumored asking price from Detroit was either two first-round picks or one plus a young player, and the Blazers should be able to meet those demands easily. His $20 million-plus salary for next season doesn’t fit under the cap, so the Blazers would have to time their signings correctly and resign themselves to some loss of flexibility to bring in Grant while also retaining Nurkic and Simons.
But a starting five of Simons, Lillard, Winslow, Grant, and Nurkic is much more balanced and eons better defensively than the five who started this season and would put the Blazers back in contention for a long playoff run in 2023.
Grant is a Portland native and is close with Lillard, so the fact that he becomes a free agent next summer should be less of a concern to the Blazers than it might be to other suitors. And he’s nearing his peak years as Lillard is completing his, so this could be the ideal time to bring them together.