Grade the Trade: Portland jumps into top 5 of draft, gets off egregious contract

For the Portland Trail Blazers, one thing that should be at the top of General Manager Joe Cronin’s offseason to-do list is getting off Jerami Grant’s massive salary. The Blazers should consider the long-term financial flexibility this would provide them, as Grant still has four years remaining on his five-year, $160 million contract.

Regardless of what the Blazers ultimately decide to do with Grant, another priority for this offseason should be finding a two-way wing. They have a prime opportunity to address this glaring need through the draft with their two lottery picks. In this particular mock deal, Portland would move up with one of their lottery picks. Although it’s a weak draft class, it’s always intriguing to have the opportunity to move up.

Blazers send Grant, Thybulle, and draft pick to Pistons in mock deal

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic has the Blazers making a deal with another rebuilding team - the Detroit Pistons. In Edwards' proposal, Portland packages valuable assets in Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle, and draft capital. If the Blazers made this deal, Toumani Camara would likely have to slide into the starting lineup. They’d undoubtedly be hurting for wing depth, which is already shallow. However, they could address that with their top draft pick, which they get back in return.

A deal like this will depend on various factors, such as how the draft shakes out at the top and how much more the Blazers value a certain prospect compared to who they think will be available if they stay put at their current drafting spot. The lack of clear-cut prospect tiers adds another element to consider with these trades involving draft picks.

Here is the proposed trade in its entirety: