The fact that there are more buyers than sellers at the 2024 NBA trade deadline is presenting some unique challenges. Contenders, or at least teams that view themselves as such, are in search of that proverbial "missing piece." But those are in short supply as Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. ET approaches.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors are a good example of this dichotomy. Despite Stephen Curry still rolling like one of the best players in the league, the Warriors are set to miss the postseason entirely. They could use a jolt.
On the flip side, the Blazers have veterans such as Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon and even Matisse Thybulle who would give Golden State that boost.
Portland seems to be in no hurry to deal any of that trio, however, which leaves Curry and the Warriors stuck.
Just for argument's sake, what if the two teams did strike an agreement?
Trail Blazers trade Jerami Grant to Warriors in recent proposal
Any of the NBA's championship hopefuls could use a player like Grant. He's an athletic 6-foot-7 combo forward with a 7-3 wingspan who's averaging nearly 21 points per game and shooting better than 40 percent from three.
He's the coveted three-and-D archetype, but one who can create his own shot in a pinch. He'd provide a massive lift to the Warriors' playoff chances.
But what would it take to pry the 29-year-old out of Portland? (Hint: Definitely, certainly, most absolutely not this).
Blazers get Warriors' Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody for Jerami Grant
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley pitched this idea, presumably as a way to give Golden State a player it sorely needs.
Swapping out Wiggins for Grant is a massive upgrade for the Warriors. Wiggins was a key piece of the team that won the 2022 title, but he's been half the player he was during that postseason, and that's being generous.
The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across 22 games that postseason, all starts. He was critical as a rebounder and defender who guarded the opposition's best player every night. He was the perfect low usage two-way wing Golden State needed to slide between Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Grant would be the 2024 edition of Wiggins, except a better offensive player in every way, which would be of huge help to this year's Warriors team that is too reliant on a diminished Thompson and Green.
Grading the trade for the Trail Blazers
This is an A+ deal for the Warriors. Not so much for Portland.
Here's Buckley's rationale from the Blazers' perspective:
"Wiggins is (slightly) younger and (a decent amount) cheaper than Grant, and when both players are in a groove, there isn't a lot of difference between them. So the Blazers might be shipping out Grant for a more cost-effective version of himself while also adding Moody, a 21-year-old who's flashed serious three-and-D chops when given an opportunity to play."Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
Let's break that down, because umm...
- Wiggins will turn 29 on Feb. 23. Grant will be 30 on March 12. They're less than a year apart in age.
- Sure, Grant may be overpaid as he signed a five-year, $160 million contract last offseason. But Wiggins is locked into a deal that has a player option for $30.2 million in 2026-27, just one year before Grant's player option and the expiry of his deal.
- "When both players are in a groove, there isn't a lot of difference between them." That's blatantly false - Grant is a far superior offensive player even on Wiggins' good nights - and one player is in said groove this season while the other is...not. Golden State's version of this supposed similar player is averaging a career-low 12.2 points on 44 percent shooting and 31.1 percent shooting from deep.
- Portland is not "shipping out Grant for a more cost-effective version of himself."
Moody is an attractive asset who would be included in any move the Warriors make to attempt to upgrade their roster. He's averaging career highs in minutes, points, rebounds and field-goal percentage. He's a career 36.2 percent shooter from three.
Per 36 minutes, the 21-year-old is averaging 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals with shooting splits of 48/36/79. At a sturdy 6-foot-6, he's worth trying to develop into the three-and-D wing Grant is now.
But that's essentially all the Blazers are getting in exchange for a player who's been their best and most consistent since opening night.
Blazers trade grade: F-