The Portland Trail Blazers front office received no top-five votes in the 2024 NBA front office survey conducted by The Athletic. They were just one of seven teams not to receive a single vote. The criticism seems justified, given that Portland finished with a 21-61 record last season and still has a messy roster with several glaring problems that need to be sorted out.
Hopefully, GM Joe Cronin will address these issues with a trade or two prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The veterans remaining on their roster are clear trade candidates, with the most obvious being their oldest player, Jerami Grant.
However, it's challenging to find a trade partner that is willing (and financially able) to take on Grant's contract, as he's also Portland's second most expensive player at $29.8 million this season. The team desperate enough to trade for Grant likely needs to have playoff expectations, limiting the Blazers' pool of potential suitors. One possible match is the Los Angeles Lakers, who, for better or worse, find themselves in win-now mode with a 40-year-old LeBron James somehow still playing at a high level.
Mock proposal sends Jerami Grant and Duop Reath to Lakers
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points proposed a trade, sending Jerami Grant and Duop Reath to the Los Angeles Lakers. In exchange, Portland gets back a package headlined by Rui Hachimura and two second-round picks.
Here is the deal in full:
The second-round picks that Portland would receive are from the Lakers and Clippers.
Although the Lakers just recently acquired 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets, it doesn't necessarily rule out them still potentially trading for Grant. LeBron has always thrived when surrounded by shooters who open the lanes for drives and take advantage of his elite playmaking. Grant has hovered around 40 percent from beyond the arc in each of his three seasons with Portland. He also has proven his adaptability throughout his career as someone who is capable of still being an impactful player in a lessened role.
Duop Reath would be an underrated addition for Los Angeles, filling a glaring positional need while providing valuable floor spacing for James and Anthony Davis to operate. Grant and Reath wouldn't be needle movers for the Lakers -- they'd still be a significant piece or two away from being considered legitimate contenders. But it's a reasonable price to pay to bolster their wing and center spot, adding to their identity as a team that values length on their roster.
It makes sense from the Lakers' standpoint to accept this deal, especially since they don't have to give up any first-round draft capital. But should the Blazers pull the trigger?
With a shifting market and Grant's declining play, this trade may not be as bad for Portland as you'd think
Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino are essentially salary fillers who shouldn't have a significant role in Portland. Vincent is owed $11 million annually for the next two seasons, which is an overpay for someone who has struggled since coming to Los Angeles.
Hood-Schifino is typically the type of player that the Blazers should try to get back in a deal for one of their veterans. He was the No. 17 overall selection in 2023 and is just 21 years old. But his career 13.3 percent three-point shooting is a glaring red flag for a Portland team that already lacks in that department.
Hachimura is a solid player with good positional size at 6-foot-8 and an underrated shooting touch, connecting on 41.4 percent of threes this season. This deal would clear the path for Deni Avdija to start alongside Toumani Camara, with Hachimura providing wing depth off the bench along with Kris Murray.
In a vacuum, it's not a very exciting deal for Portland. Moving Grant, who is arguably their best player, for a package centered around Hachimura and two second-round picks isn't ideal. But GM Joe Cronin's unreasonably steep asking price of two first-round picks for Grant this summer may have backfired.
Now, the market is valuing second-round picks more under the new CBA. Grant's value has also decreased, given that he's averaging just 15.0 points on 38.2 percent shooting from the field. Portland may have to come to terms with the harsh reality that getting off of Grant's five-year, $160 million contract is the primary asset they'd be receiving in any potential deal.
With Hachimura being an under-the-radar addition to Portland's young core and the increased value of second-round picks given the changing market, it makes sense for them to make this the starting point of a deal for Grant.
Ideally, Portland would land a first-round pick in exchange, but it remains to be seen if any buyers want Grant that badly to the point where they'd agree to that. However, one thing Portland could try to negotiate more realistically is not including Reath in the deal. Jake Fischer suggested on The Stein Line (subscription required) that Reath may be worth multiple second-round picks because the new CBA makes minimum contracts much more valuable. With that being the case, the Blazers should hold on to their stretch five and find a separate deal for him.