The Trail Blazers were reportedly interested in trading the Pelicans’ first-round pick to the Pistons for Jerami Grant.
Portland didn’t receive that protected pick with New Orleans surprisingly making the playoffs, leaving rumors the Trail Blazers would deal their own No. 7 pick for Grant.
Instead, Portland is trading a far less valuable first-rounder and a few second-rounders for Grant. The deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Trail Blazers get:
- Jerami Grant
- No. 46 pick this year
Pistons get:
- Bucks’ 2025 top-four-protected first-rounder
- No. 36 pick this year
- Pistons’ own 2025 second-rounder (which Portland owned)
- Higher of Trail Blazers’ and Pelicans’ 2026 second-rounders
Milwaukee still has Giannis Antetokounmpo locked in through 2025, so that limits the upside on that pick. As does the top-four protection just in case the bottom falls out on the Bucks. If it lands top four, it’ll go to the Pelicans and end Milwaukee’s obligation. It’s unclear whether Portland added a contingency if the pick doesn’t convey to Detroit.
A defensive-first forward, Grant should fit well on a Trail Blazers team trying to build back up quickly around Damian Lillard. Grant might even get his desired large offensive role as Lillard’s sidekick in Portland, though Anfernee Simons (restricted free agent) remains in the fold and the rest of the roster is a work in progress.
Grant could have signed off on this trade. He can become an unrestricted free agent next year, and the Trail Blazers probably didn’t trade for him without an understanding of what it’d take to keep him. (Though, having to surrender so little, maybe they did.) Six months after this trade becomes official, Grant will become eligible for a four-year, $112,654,080 contract extension and was reportedly seeking that full amount from his next team.
For now, Grant’s $20,955,000 salary will fit into the C.J. McCollum trade exception. By going this route rather than opening cap space, Portland clears the way to guarantee Josh Hart’s salary.
The Pistons could now be looking at $56 million in cap space this summer – far more than anyone else in the NBA. Team options for Hamidou Diallo and Frank Jackson and re-signing Marvin Bagley could cut into Detroit’s spending power. But that’s still a lot of money to make a splash.
Grant (28) is substantially older than Pistons franchise player Cade Cunningham (20) and even other building blocks Saddiq Bey (23) and Isaiah Stewart (21). Detroit sold relatively low on Grant, who blossomed into a better all-around player in Detroit. But if they land a younger free agent like Deandre Ayton or Miles Bridges or maybe even Collin Sexton and nail the No. 5 pick, the Pistons will have a pretty bright future.