Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey recently proposed one trade that every NBA team would make if the deadline were before the start of the 2025-26 season. Unsurprisingly, Bailey proposes that the Blazers address their $160 million elephant in the room, with Portland finally moving on from overpaid veteran Jerami Grant.
Here's the deal in full:
"Getting out from under Jerami Grant's contract, which runs through 2027-28, when Grant has a $36.4 million player option, should be Portland's top priority. And while Kuzma was wildly ineffective last season, he does make nearly $10 million less in 2025-26, and his contract expires a year earlier (and without any options to complicate things). Andre Jackson Jr. has to be added to make the math work, so Portland might even be willing to part with a third second-rounder to make the deal work," Bailey writes.
Dumping Jerami Grant without a first-rounder is a steal for Portland
This isn't an overly exciting return, as Kyle Kuzma comes with his own flaws. He split time between the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks last season, averaging 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 44/31/63 shooting splits.
Grant wasn't much better with a down season of his own, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 37/37/85 shooting splits. Still, in terms of on-court production, this would be a downgrade for Portland. The most significant difference between the two as players is that Grant is a much better shooter, which is essential for a Blazers team that desperately needs more floor spacing.
However, the difference in the two as players is substantially outweighed by their financial situations. As Bailey notes, Kuzma is owed $10 million less this upcoming season, and most importantly, Portland is able to get off his contract one year earlier than Grant. That may not seem significant, but it really is, especially when considering that Portland will have to empty out its pockets to retain key pieces of its young core by then.
Adding Jrue Holiday's contract into the mix unnecessarily complicated Portland's financial situation. Now, it's even more essential that they find a way to solve their Grant problem, although that's much easier said than done. This isn't a perfect solution by any means, as ideally, the Blazers would land a salary filler on an expiring deal. However, that would likely require them to sacrifice a first-round pick, which they shouldn't want to do at this stage in their rebuild.
Given Portland's situation, acquiring someone like Kuzma could be a realistic, lesser of two evils situation for them to explore. Thanks to the lopsided Damian Lillard trade, they are also heavily invested in Milwaukee's future, as Portland now has their draft capital. Giving them Grant would be perfect to guarantee that the Bucks have a grim future outlook, as it would be challenging to upgrade the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo if they still have to overpay Grant, Myles Turner, and Lillard for multiple seasons.
With the latest update surrounding Giannis exploring trade options this summer, the Bucks may be desperate enough to add someone like Grant, overlooking his contract for win-now production. If the Blazers are fortunate enough for that to be the case, they should absolutely jump at the opportunity.