Blazers exploit Siakam sweepstakes, fleece Kings in this Jerami Grant trade proposal

Grading the trade for the Blazers

If the Raptors end up with three first-round picks from the Pacers, all of which could land in the 20s assuming Indiana is a consistent playoff team, there's no reason Grant wouldn't be able to net the Trail Blazers two late first-rounders.

O'Connor's theoretical trade includes Barnes, Davion Mitchell and two picks. Marks and Scotto discuss a deal of Barnes, Mitchell and one first-rounder, which Marks admits wouldn't be enough to tempt Portland into trading Grant.

The multiple-first-round-selection idea makes sense; while Toronto would get a trio of picks likely to fall in the 20s for Siakam, the Blazers would get two such picks for Grant. But instead of including Mitchell, a 6-foot guard in the deal, Portland would push for two younger prospects that aren't as wildly redundant.

Colby Jones was the 34th pick in the 2023 draft. The 6-5 guard was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and averaged 15 points, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 37.8 percent from three during a breakout junior season at Xavier.

The 21-year-old is an intelligent player who makes smart passes, moves well without the ball and has some big lead-guard playmaking skills. His uptick in shooting during his final collegiate season is a sign that he could develop into a spot-up shooter.

Kessler Edwards is a 23-year-old wing in his third NBA season who's shown promise in limited playing time. During his rookie season with the Brooklyn Nets, the 6-7 Edwards appeared in 48 games, averaging more than 20 minutes per and scoring 5.9 points on 35.3 percent shooting from three.

He's certainly not the centerpiece of this deal, but he's still young and would have a chance at more minutes and development with the Blazers.

Barnes is a Grant-lite as a potential starter who can soak up minutes at the three or four and provide Portland's young players with veteran leadership. He's not the player he once was, but he's a serviceable forward on a shorter and cheaper contract than Grant.

A pair of future first-round picks to add to an already stocked cupboard and a rookie with starter-level potential in return for Grant, who will be at least in his early 30s when the Blazers are (crosses fingers) competitive again, is a deal worth making for Portland.

Blazers trade grade: B+