After months of speculation, the Detroit Pistons finally pulled the trigger on a Jerami Grant trade, agreeing to send the forward to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers will send a 2025 first-round pick to the Pistons in exchange for Grant, with some second-round picks moving between the two teams as well.
The Blazers had been one of the teams most heavily linked to Grant, who was widely expected to be traded ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft. Now that a deal has finally come to fruition, we're going to give both sides a grade on the blockbuster trade.
Detroit has traded Jerami Grant to Portland for 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2022
Blazers-Pistons Jerami Grant trade grades
Portland Trail Blazers Grade: A
The Blazers made the decision to retool the roster, rather than rebuild it, and continue to look to build around Damian Lillard. Whether or not that call pays off in the long run remains to be seen, but considering the Blazers are committed to remaining competitive, Grant is an excellent addition to the squad. A 3-and-D specialist, Grant represents exactly what the Blazers have been lacking on the wing over the past few years.
Last year in Detroit, Grant averaged 19.2 points per game, knocking down 1.9 3's per night at a 35.8% clip. He was a reliable offensive threat on the perimeter and is a talented defender, too. Grant is capable of playing both forward positions, and could slot in at power forward, lining up alongside Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Josh Hart, and Jusuf Nurkic in what would make a formidable starting five.
The Blazers got the prized wing asset they've coveted since the trade deadline, and they didn't even need to give up their first-round pick in the draft to get him. Portland will add Grant to the roster while also being able to grab some young talent with the seventh overall pick. This is an absolute win for the Blazers, who landed a quality piece at a very insignificant cost.
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
Detroit Pistons Grade: C-
While it's unclear what other offers the Pistons received for Grant, it's hard to imagine that the Blazers put forth the strongest package. A future 2025 first-rounder, owned by one of the NBA's best teams in the Bucks (who look set to be competitive for the foreseeable future) doesn't feel like fair value for a player who averaged nearly 20 points per game last year. While Grant isn't a No. 1 option, the Pistons surely could have gotten more than a first-rounder three years down the line, and some movement on second-round picks.
While the Pistons remain a few years away from contention, they didn't add a draft pick of much value. A first-rounder is, of course, a solid asset, but unless the Bucks struggle in 2025, the Pistons are looking at a late first-round pick at best. Offloading Grant frees up a ton of cap space for the Pistons to become players in free agency, but it still feels like they didn't recoup the best-possible value for Grant.
A Grant trade was inevitable, which may have ended up hurting his value in the end, but ultimately, Pistons fans will feel like they should have received a better haul in exchange for the 28-year-old.
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