The Portland Trail Blazers made a mistake when they inked Jerami Grant to a massive five-year, $160 million deal in the 2023 offseason.
Prior to his injury, Grant was in the midst of a bounce-back 2025-26 season, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 44/39/87 shooting splits. That's perfect timing for Portland as they could finally look to correct this mistake by the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Previously considered one of the worst contracts in the league, there actually appears to be somewhat of a market for Portland's overpaid veteran this trade season.
Trail Blazers could fix their Jerami Grant mistake
The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to upgrade their roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and have interest in Grant (subscription required), according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. But we shouldn't look too much into that, considering the Bucks are coming off as the most desperate team this trade season. They've included themselves as interested in seemingly every rumored trade candidate -- Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Michael Porter Jr. -- the list goes on.
However, other teams could be in play beyond the desperate Bucks, increasing the odds that Portland can find a trade partner.
Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports recently reported that the Blazers have expressed interest in Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. He also identified Grant as a logical trade target for the Warriors in that hypothetical deal.
Additionally, ESPN's NBA insiders included Grant in a package that would land Trae Young in Portland.
While it remains to be seen if these teams, like the Warriors and Hawks, are actually interested in taking on Grant's contract, this is a promising development that suggests the narrative around Grant's trade value is changing as his play has improved.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey even published bold trade deadline predictions for every NBA team. For Portland, that prediction was that they'd trade Grant.
Of course, another potential obstacle to making this a reality is whether the Blazers' front office actually wants to sell relatively high on Grant. But they absolutely should be open to the idea of finally offloading his salary, making it substantially easier to retain and upgrade their young core, with Deni Avdija's future extension at the top of that list.
Grant's been valuable to Portland this season, and they'd likely take a step back in the short term, depending on who they get in return. They'd miss his shot creation in particular, and it could also expose their lack of reliable wing options outside of Avdija and Toumani Camara. But the Blazers have said they want to prioritize their long-term outlook, and if that is truly the case, trading Grant by Feb. 5 is the right decision.
Time will tell whether a Grant trade actually happens, but the likelihood has increased. Grant has finally found himself back in trade rumors, boosting his value in what has been a resurgent season.