3 Players the Blazers might replace Jerami Grant with by the trade deadline
By Reese Kunz
2. Keldon Johnson
The Spurs are looking to accelerate their rebuild after Victor Wembanyama's historic rookie season, where he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game. Wemby finished with Rookie of the Year honors and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting despite being 20 years old. San Antonio did a great job adding veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes to help lead their young core, but they still lack the firepower to make a playoff run in the competitive Western Conference. Grant is another established player the Spurs could acquire at a reasonable price.
Grant would complement San Antonio's roster better than Johnson, especially given the differences in three-point shooting (40.2 percent for Grant, compared to 34.6 for Johnson last season). Meanwhile, Johnson is only 24 and would fit nicely with the Blazers' young core. Portland would have two young forwards with extremely well-rounded games between him and Deni Avdija.
Johnson is 6-foot-5, which is slightly undersized to replace the 6-foot-7 Grant, who has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. Still, Avdija's versatility could allow him to slide into the starting power forward position (of course, this is all a placeholder starting lineup until the Blazers land Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft).