The Detroit Pistons have agreed to exchange striker Jeremy Grant with the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a first-round pick in 2025 (through the Milwaukee Bucks and Defenders № 1-4) and multiple election exchanges, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Most importantly, the Pistons and Blazers swapped second-round picks in this year’s draft. The Pistons are now 36th overall, while the Blazers are 46th overall. In addition, the Pistons will receive a second round selection in 2025 from the Blazers and a second round selection in 2026 (the most favorable between the Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans). Detroit will also receive a $ 21 million trade exemption as part of the deal.
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Grant is entering the final year of his contract and was not a long-term part of the recovering Pistons, who will now move forward with Cade Cunningham and $ 43 million in free agency space. Moving Grant has always made sense, but it’s surprising that the Pistons failed to finish any more. Maybe they could have a desperate contender if they swap Grant by the deadline last season.
However, it is worth noting that Grant is eligible for an extension this off-season and will seek a deal worth up to $ 112 million over four years. He also wants to be an offensive player. There were probably few teams willing to pay Grant and give him the role he wanted, which could lead to low trade value. The Blazers were obviously one of them and have now added a universal striker to the mix as they try to rethink Damian Lillard.
Let’s evaluate the trade:
The pistons receive:
- Second round selection in 2022 through Portland
- First round selection in 2025 in Milwaukee (protected numbers 1-4)
- Second round selection in 2025 through Portland
- Second round selection for 2026 (better choice between Portland and New Orleans)
- $ 21 million trading exception
The Jeremy Grant-Detroit Pistons partnership has never been long in this world. When Grant signed his three-year, $ 60 million deal in the summer of 2020, he wanted the opportunity to prove he was more than just a defender and a three-point scorer. The Pistons wanted someone who could take responsibility for the offensive and have commercial value in the back-end.
While the last two seasons did not represent much in terms of victory, the pairing was ultimately positive for both sides. Grant showed that he could handle a more significant role and earned even more in the process. The Pistons received a bunch of extra drafts for someone who would never be part of their long-term plans.
At first glance, this seems like a low return for Grant, and it’s fair to wonder if the Pistons could have gotten more in return for a desperate contender if they had moved him to last season’s exchange deadline. Any team that trades for Grant should be willing to pay him his next contract and give him the role he was looking for in attack, and the fact that they accepted this deal is a good indication of what offers were out there. .
In the end, the Pistons got the first round they were looking for – although they won’t be able to use it for three years – a few extra chances in the second round and cleared a lot of room for hats. It is unclear what they will do with this flexibility this summer, if anything else, but they are better off for the future, which should be bright with Cade Cunningham at the helm.
Rating: B
Trail Blazers receive:
- Selection from the second round in Detroit in 2022
After eight consecutive playoff appearances, the Trail Blazers embraced the tank last season after Damian Lillard’s abdominal surgery. CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., Robert Covington and Norman Powell dropped out, leading to a 2-21 close to the season and No. 7 overall.
However, no one wants this to be a multi-year recovery, especially with Lillard, who is now on the wrong side of 30. The list is essentially a blank slate outside of Lillard and some young players, and the plan is to build a team that can compete again. place in the playoffs immediately.
The first step was to go out and get Grant, whom Lillard advocated, according to Vojnarowski. Grant must be ideal as a universal striker who will immediately improve his porous defense and can take some of the responsibility for the attack from Lillard’s shoulders. The real threat of a goal on the wing will be a good change of pace for the Blazers, who have relied on a small backfield for so long.
Best of all for the Blazers, they didn’t have to give up much to get a player who would make their team better. Choosing in the first round three years later means a lot more to the Pistons’ recovering team than to the Blazers, who are trying to win now. Elections and exchanges in the second round are like anything.
The Blazers’ next business is to figure out how to add even more talent to the list. Grant is a great start, but he and Lillard won’t be able to do it alone. To this end, it is worth noting that the team is struggling with the choice of № 7 to try to add a veteran. OG Anunoby is a potential option, according to Chris Haynes.
Rating: A-
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