2. Jerami Grant
The Blazers re-signed Jerami Grant last offseason to a five-year, $260 million deal. He has a player option for $36.4 million in the 2027-28 season, where he will be 33. It seemed confusing why the Blazers decided to re-sign Grant to such a massive contract last summer. He's a solid third or fourth player on a playoff contender but wasn't going to be the piece to determine Damian Lillard's decision of whether to stay in Portland, especially after they contradicted the Grant signing by drafting Lillard's replacement in Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick.
There is reason for optimism surrounding Grant's deal, suggesting it's better than initially thought. The salary cap is expected to rise, which may make this deal look more reasonable in the coming seasons.
Grant also seems to have multiple teams interested in trading significant assets to acquire him. How many draft picks the Blazers can get in return for Grant remains to be seen. They are reportedly asking the Lakers for two first-round picks, which seems too high. However, Los Angeles is in win-now mode with a 39-year-old LeBron James and has missed out on other targets this offseason, which could help the Blazers get solid value for Grant in a potential deal with them.
In the scheme of the league, Grant is still overpaid. He's a 20-plus point-per-game scorer and shot 40 percent from three this season, but he doesn't provide much as a rebounder or playmaker to make him the focal piece of a team like his contract suggests. Still, the fact that the Blazers have teams inquiring about Grant prevents him from being No. 1 in the ranking.