1 Contract the Portland Trail Blazers must dump this offseason

Portland Trail Blazers’ Jerami Grant had another productive season, averaging 21 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game on 45/40/82 shooting splits. He’s now had back-to-back seasons shooting over 40 percent from three, which is especially impressive considering he didn’t enter the league as a shooter.

Regardless of Grant’s success in Portland, this offseason is the perfect time for the Blazers to dump his massive contract. The Blazers forward signed a five-year, $160 million deal last July. It was a puzzling move at the time, and this summer, it’s imperative that General Manager Joe Cronin the Blazers fix their mistake.

Trail Blazers need to get off Jerami Grant’s contract this summer

Grant is arguably the best player on the Trail Blazers, but that’s another reason why they should move him. As long as Grant is their star player, Portland will never win anything significant. He is best suited as an exceptional role player on a contending team. Teams covet a player of Grant’s archetype. He’s 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, can create his own shot, and has developed into an elite floor spacer.

Grant, 30, is an excellent player who still has a few years left to play at a high level. But, with each passing year, his trade value will continue to go down, as his level of play will no longer justify his massive contract, even for contending teams. Grant has a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

The Blazers need to take one step back to take two steps forward in the future. Moving Grant this summer will open up playing time for promising forwards like Toumani Camara, Jabari Walker, and likely another wing (or two) the Blazers select in the 2024 NBA Draft. It also allows them to lose more games, which will help secure higher lottery odds in next year’s draft.

Most importantly, it will solve their pressing financial issue: the looming luxury tax and the first apron they project to be in for the 2024-25 season if they don’t make a trade. Moving Grant seems like the obvious solution to multiple problems for the Blazers, and it needs to happen this summer.