Since before this past February’s trade deadline, the Portland Trail Blazers have been linked to pursuing a trade for Pistons forward Jerami Grant. While a deal didn’t get done during the season, with Portland choosing to tank the second half of the year with Damian Lillard hurt and the Pistons choosing to hold off on a trade til the summer, that interest hadn’t changed as Thursday’s Draft approached.
What Grant’s value was on an expiring was up for debate, and we learned on Wednesday night what it would take to get him out of Detroit. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Grant was headed to the Blazers for a 2025 first round pick (from Milwaukee) and a few second round pick swaps.
Detroit swaps 2022 second-round picks — getting 36 for 46 — with Portland, too. Denver gets a 2025 second-round pick back from Portland, and Portland sends the most favorable 2026 second-round pick between Portland and New Orleans to Detroit, sources said. https://t.co/c8M8TlEgoY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2022
There are no other players going to Detroit in the trade, as the Pistons create a massive trade exception and $43 million in cap space for the summer — with the pick headed their way lightly protected — and Portland fits Grant into the trade exception they created in the CJ McCollum deal at the deadline.
The 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee is protected Nos. 1-4, sources said. Detroit sends Grant into a $21M trade exception, and Pistons now have $43 million in salary cap space for free agency.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2022
This now sets the Blazers up for potentially another big move with the No. 7 overall pick, which has been linked to John Collins trade talks with the Hawks as Atlanta is expected to flip their star forward ahead of the draft. We’ll see if Portland is willing to make another big splash there or if they feel Grant is enough of an addition to push them closer to contending again in the West.
Grant’s fit alongside Damian Lillard has always been apparent, as he’s a solid wing defender with secondary creation abilities on offense. For a Blazers team that has been without that kind of presence on the wing for some time, this is a nice pickup without costing them a major asset and allowing them the flexibility to make another move if they so choose. Detroit, meanwhile, is now able to be the league’s biggest spender in free agency or in absorbing a big contract in a trade, as they look to build around Cade Cunningham and the No. 5 overall pick this year.