The Portland Trail Blazers traded for Jerami Grant during the 2022 offseason with the intention of convincing Damian Lillard that the franchise is serious about competing for a championship. While the Blazers weren't particularly close, missing out on the playoffs after punting on the end of the season yet again, they remained adamant about wanting to keep Lillard in town amid all the trade talks surrounding their franchise star.

Thus, at the beginning of free agency, they re-signed Grant to a five-year, $160 million contract in an attempt to convince Lillard to, once and for all, stay. But that did not end up working as planned, as Lillard, after years of proclaiming his loyalty, decided that he now wants out of Portland so he could compete for a championship — perhaps with the Miami Heat if he has his say.

And with that greater context in mind, here are grades for both the Blazers and Jerami Grant after the 29-year old forward signed a huge $160 million deal to stay in Portland.

Blazers' grade: C

Something must be said about how admirable the Blazers' willingness to splash the cash on Jerami Grant was. Grant, after all, boasts one of the most coveted skillsets around the league. At 6'8, Grant has good size at either forward position, and he boasts excellent defensive versatility that allows him to cover the perimeter with ease. His offensive game has also developed to the point where he can conceivably be the third option on a championship team, a walking mismatch at the four given his speed and skill advantage.

But in light of Damian Lillard's trade request, Grant's new contract doesn't look particularly appealing especially for a franchise headed for a rebuild. Sure, at an average annual value of $32 million, Grant's deal isn't exactly what many would call an onerous contract. For a legitimate 20+ points per game scorer, paying that much isn't an out-and-out overpay. Tobias Harris, a player comparable to Grant, made $180 million after all — and that was in 2019, when the salary cap was lower than what it is now.

However, there's a reason why the Sixers have had difficulties trading away Harris, and why many have criticized them for their decision to keep the combo forward instead of just moving heaven and earth to keep Jimmy Butler. It's a fair question to ask: just how far can a team that's paying upwards of $30 million per year for a player of Jerami Grant's caliber (or Harris') go?

Ever since breaking out in a larger offensive role with the Detroit Pistons in 2020, Grant has won just 32.9 percent of his games. Sure, the teams around him during those seasons weren't exactly teeming with talent. But Grant's skillset makes him more suited to a complementary role. Thus, with a significant percentage of the salary cap dedicated to him, it's hard to envision the Blazers going anywhere far with his contract on the books, which is now even truer given Damian Lillard's impending departure.

Others have argued that the Blazers could trade him anyway so they could at least recoup what they dealt away for him last year. That is a fair point. Grant should garner plenty of interest around the league. But the Blazers may not get as much of a return as they might think since taking on Grant's contract requires a huge investment from prospective trade partners. And with the new CBA rules in effect, other teams may be more wary of stacking contracts like these on their books.

Jerami Grant's grade: A+

Make no mistake about it, NBA players must make as much money as they could. They deserve it. Players are the ones who put in the work so they could entertain billions of people around the globe, so if there's anyone who should be raking in the dough, it's them.

And Jerami Grant is certainly one of those players who will come out of this offseason as one of its biggest winners. Grant's timing is especially top-notch, as he and his camp negotiated his $160 million contract with the Blazers before Damian Lillard made his trade request public. It's difficult to envision the Blazers splashing this much money on the 29-year old combo forward had they known that they were going to have to trade away arguably the greatest player in franchise history.

And given how few teams with cap space there are left, Grant wouldn't have had the leverage to negotiate this hefty a contract with the Blazers if Lillard didn't dilly-dally with his intentions. To top it all off, Grant could soon find himself on a contending team anyway, as the Blazers may find trading him away to be in their best interest given their upcoming rebuild.

This offseason could not have gone any better for Jerami Grant. Anything less than an A+ for him would have been unfair.