The best thing we can do during NBA trade season is to expect the unexpected. That part of what makes the league so exciting is that teams are finding unique angles to constantly revamp their rosters, whether it's an aggressive blockbuster trade headlined by superstars or an under-the-radar addition of a role player who fits seamlessly.
The Portland Trail Blazers' offseason trade of Deni Avdija was extremely out of the blue, but it has been working out well for Portland. They've also been quiet leading up to this trade deadline, with not many confirmed sources mentioning specific links to Blazers players outside of teams' reported interest in Robert Williams III.
Could another out-of-nowhere trade like the Avdija deal be on the horizon?
One trade proposed by Ricardo Klein of Sports Illustrated doesn't have that same level of excitement as the Avdija deal, but trading Jerami Grant has become more of a necessity for the Blazers in order to move forward in their rebuild.
In Klein's trade proposal, Grant goes to an unexpected team in the Toronto Raptors.
Mock trade sends Jerami Grant to the Toronto Raptors
Here is the deal in full:
This trade was pitched after Dan Favale of Bleacher Report listed Toronto as a surprise landing spot for Grant.
"Acquiring Jerami Grant doesn't perfectly square with the Toronto Raptors' timeline. But they have a handful of short-term and expiring contracts—Bruce Brown, Chris Boucher, Kelly Olynyk—to use as salary anchors and a reported interest in doing...something..." wrote Favale.
The Blazers and Raptors are in similar situations as teams that should be rebuilding but haven't fully bottomed out. Portland has the seventh-worst record in the league, while Toronto is sixth. Both teams have key veterans remaining on their roster, leaving fans and analysts, including Favale, wondering what direction they are taking the team.
The Blazers' urgency to trade Grant should only increase as the deadline gets closer. Ideally, this is a situation that they resolve by February 6, and don't let it drag on longer than it already has.
Portland would have to waive two players for this trade scenario to work. They also have no use in bringing in 33-year-old Kelly Olynyk and 32-year-old Chris Boucher to add to their frontcourt, which is already too crowded. Olynyk is on the books for $13.4 million next season, so perhaps they could flip him to a contender in the summer or at next season's trade deadline.
Davion Mitchell showed a ton of promise coming out of Baylor as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. But he has yet to piece it all together at the NBA level, averaging 6.1 points in 24.7 minutes this season in Toronto. Still, he's a defensive-minded guard worth taking a flier on as a backup to Scoot Henderson.
This isn’t a thrilling offer, but the Blazers manage to shed Grant’s contract in exchange for shorter, less burdensome deals. That in itself makes it a decent trade.