Jerami Grant is the Portland Trail Blazers' $160 million elephant in the room heading into what will be a pivotal offseason for their rebuild.
Grant's contract was unfortunate timing for the Blazers because it was one day before Damian Lillard's league-altering trade request. It was clear from the start that if Portland moved Lillard, it would be in their best interest to rebuild around top-ten picks Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and any young assets they got in return.
Grant, currently the oldest player on the Blazers' roster, didn't fit into their rebuilding timeline from the second that contract was officially signed. But now, after Grant's disappointing 2024-25 season, it looks like even more of a head-scratching decision, with Sam Vecenie of The Athletic calling it one of the league's worst contracts.
Trading Jerami Grant should be the Blazers’ top priority (but pulling it off won’t be easy)
Grant finished the year averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, shooting just 37.3 percent from the field. Not only did his inefficiency and one-dimensionality not impact winning as much as the Blazers had hoped, but they still owe Grant over $100 million for the next three years. Keeping him around hinders their financial flexibility and decreases the possibility of adding a star that better fits their young core.
Unfortunately, Grant's age, contract, and declining play make it difficult to find a trade partner. Because of this, there's a possibility that Grant will not be moved. If that is the case, Portland will have to have a serious conversation about whether or not to bring Grant off the bench.
That would be in their best interest from a basketball standpoint and would be an upgrade over Kris Murray or whoever else would be in the rotation instead of Grant. However, the new CBA means teams must be more selective with their finances, and paying someone $160 million just to come off the bench would be malpractice, even if Grant would potentially be open to the idea.
Portland needs to find a desperate, borderline contending team -- someone who is willing to look past Grant's contract because, well, they don't have another choice. They have limited assets but need to add another piece to get them over the hump.
However, finding that fit is easier said than done, and these teams typically have a limited window and steer toward a rebuild to escape purgatory. The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks are two examples of teams where Grant might have made sense before, but not after their recent developments, with Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially on the move.
Portland could entice Milwaukee to take on Grant if it means they get some of their draft capital back, but that's valuable leverage that, ideally, the Blazers would use in a more blockbuster move. The Blazers could include Grant as part of that blockbuster deal as the salary filler, but it would be much easier to get a deal done with Deandre Ayton's expiring contract.
This is a tricky problem for the Blazers to solve with no clear-cut answer, but it's also the most important move they need to make this summer -- even if it means having to attach more assets to do so.