With DeMar DeRozan now in Sacramento, the biggest free agents have all signed and there are just a handful of players still on the market that can provide a real upgrade for teams searching for them. That’s shifted the attention of most of the league to the trade market, where there are a number of high-profile wings that could be on the move.
Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Brandon Ingram are the most discussed, in large part because they are all known to be available. There’s one other option out there for teams in need of a veteran wing, as Jerami Grant is sitting in Portland in the midst of a rebuild that seems to be on a very different timeline than his own. The challenge for teams interested in Grant, who averaged 21 points per game last year and hit 40 percent of his threes, is the Blazers aren’t under the same kind of pressure as the Bulls, Jazz, and Pelicans to figure things out soon.
Grant has four years and $132 million left on the deal (with a player option in the last year) he signed last summer, and that gives the Blazers the benefit of time to let him become, potentially, more valuable. As such, they are reportedly asking for a lot in return for Grant, and to this point, no one has come particularly close to meeting those demands. However, with the league cool on Ingram and LaVine given their high price tags, if Markkanen ends up re-signing in Utah rather than being moved this summer, Grant could be the last remaining option for teams in search of a real upgrade.
Among the challenges in finding a Grant suitor is finding teams which have the picks/players to make things interesting and the impetus to add a player like him. For example, a team like Cleveland would surely love to add Grant, but they don’t have any picks to offer and aren’t going to part with Evan Mobley to get him. Miami is another team that makes some sense until you take a closer look, as financially the only way to get it done is to send out Tyler Herro, and that would leave them extremely thin at guard and also we’ve seen Portland’s interest in Herro is mild at best. In total, I had a hard time finding a single Eastern Conference team that I felt would get involved and have the assets to interest Portland, ultimately landing on three teams clawing for position in the West that could make a run at Grant.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have been linked to interest in Grant in the past, as he fits the bill of a veteran wing who can give them floor-spacing and some secondary creation on offense. However, the asking price for Grant is pretty high, per Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, and it remains to be seen whether the Lakers or anyone else is willing to match it. Financially, they can get there with Rui Hachimura or D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Cam Reddish to make sure they’re sending out more than they get back to avoid the hard-cap at the first apron. The question is whether they’ll part with two first round picks. Here we’ll call it a first and a second with Hachimura as the salary filler, because he’s more likely to fetch the Blazers something else down the road on the trade market, but it’s possible that’s not enough for Portland to pull the trigger.
The Trade
Lakers get: Jerami Grant
Blazers get: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, 2029 Lakers first, 2025 Clippers second
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors could also get in on the Grant sweepstakes and what they can do that the Lakers cannot is offer a young player like Moses Moody that fits the Blazers timeline better along with a first round pick. The biggest problem with the Warriors potential offer of Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, and a future first is that Wiggins contract requires Portland to take more long-term money back than other possible deals. While I know future draft picks are the currency teams at the bottom love to acquire, I do like the idea of adding a more known commodity that still fits the timeline, and I think Moody in a larger role in Portland could be a really good addition to their young group.
The Trade
Warriors get: Jerami Grant
Blazers get: Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, 2026 Warriors first
Houston Rockets
The Rockets have been very quiet this summer after failing to land any big game on the trade market, but I’m not ready to count them out as a team that could make a splash move. They’ve got the assets and young players to make interesting offers on just about anyone, while having a stated desire to make a push to the Play-In or better next year. Perhaps they’ll bide their time and wait out the next superstar to hit the trade market — they reportedly are hoping Devin Booker becomes available — but in the meantime, they do have to consider the impending costs of their young core. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will both hit RFA next summer and Jabari Smith Jr. will be close behind in 2026.
Grant isn’t the caliber of player I think they’d move the first two names for, but it seems Smith’s ability to flourish is a bit stymied by his higher-usage young teammates. As such, would they be willing to part with the former No. 2 overall pick in order to bolster their roster with a veteran wing that could get them into that Play-In contention area, while also not ruling them out for a bigger move later? They’d need a third team involved to make the money work, but luckily there are two teams in Detroit and Utah with lots of space that would be willing to take on a couple expirings to help facilitate a deal.
Perhaps Portland would value gaining some serious financial flexibility for the next two seasons while adding a potential young star that fits their timeline. In this scenario, Houston would be capped at the first apron with ~$10 million to play with and two roster spots to fill, which is more than doable. Again, I’m not sure either team sees this as the kind of upgrade worth taking this swing on, but for the stated goals of each team, it would at least present a fascinating option.
The Trade
Rockets get: Jerami Grant
Blazers get: Jabari Smith Jr.
Pistons get: Jeff Green, Jock Landale, a pair of future second rounders
