NBA Rumors: Blazers have high asking price for Jerami Grant in Lakers trade talks

The Portland Trail Blazers are seemingly in less rush to trade away other assets after moving on from Malcolm Brogdon. Their roster is complete, with 15 players under contract. They also cleared their backcourt logjam and are under the luxury tax. Because of these reasons, every other offseason move from here on out that general manager Joe Cronin and the Blazers make is more of a luxury than a necessity. But, if they decide to make an additional trade, one of the following players on the trade totem pole appears to be Jerami Grant.

Jerami Grant linked to the Los Angeles Lakers

The Blazers' forward has been linked to multiple teams that have either inquired about Grant or make sense as a potential landing spot. Still, the one team that stands out is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are clearly in win-now mode with 39-year-old LeBron James' limited window.

They have missed out on other notable names this offseason, including Dejounte Murray and Klay Thompson, and seem to have their sights now set on forwards DeMar DeRozan and Jerami Grant. The DeRozan situation is tricky, given the Lakers' current financial situation. Still, it's undoubtedly something Los Angeles could pull off, especially since he was born in Compton and played collegiately at USC.

GM Joe Cronin's steep price for Grant

According to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, the Blazers are currently asking the Lakers for two first-round picks, 2029 and 2031, as the focal point of the trade return, as well as salary fillers such as Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, or Jarred Vanderbilt. He mentions that the Lakers are hesitant to give up both first-round picks, which is why a potential deal is currently at a stalemate.

Whether or not the Lakers and GM Rob Pelinka give into Cronin's high asking price depends on if they can land DeRozan. If they can't, their free agency options become limited, and Pelinka may feel more pressure to get LeBron the immediate help he deserves. That's where the Blazers could come into play.

Cronin is known to be a firm negotiator in trades, and given that there's no pressing need to trade Grant, this could be a drawn-out process. However, things should become more apparent after waiting to see where DeRozan ultimately lands. He seems like the first domino to fall in this Grant saga; whether Cronin's steep asking price is met could depend on what happens to DeRozan.