Predicting when every member of Trail Blazers' starting 5 might leave

Jerami Grant is moved at the 2025 trade deadline

It's certainly possible that Grant gets moved before Simons. Although he's on a bad contract after the Blazers questionably re-signed him to a five-year, $160 million deal last offseason, Grant appears to have suitors that would be interested in trading significant assets for him. Grant could make sense for several Western Conference teams looking to make a push in the competitive conference, like the Dallas Mavericks or Sacramento Kings, but has been strongly linked to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Talks of Grant and the Lakers have heated up after Los Angeles missed out on yet another offseason target in DeMar DeRozan, who decided he wanted to "light the beam" next season instead. The Lakers' options have dwindled, leaving Grant as one of their top available options.

However, the primary reason for the trade deadline prediction instead of being moved before training camp like Simons is Cronin's high asking price of two first-round picks for Grant. The Blazers acquired Grant from the Detroit Pistons in 2022, and of the draft capital they gave up to get him, only one was a first-round pick—a 2025 pick via Milwaukee—which should be late in the first round anyway.

Now Grant is older and on a worse contract, and Cronin is asking for more in return? You can't blame him for trying to get a team to meet this high asking price, especially since the Blazers have no reason to rush any trade involving Grant. They are already under the luxury tax, and he's not taking significant minutes away from many up-and-coming forwards besides Toumani Camara.

It remains to be seen if Grant will net two first-round picks, but Cronin's asking price could potentially cause the trade talks to play out until February.