Jerami Grant is one of the most popular trade targets in basketball for contending teams who need help on the wing. Unless the Detroit Pistons are blown away by an offer for the 27-year-old, though, it still seems possible he'll continue his career in the Motor City past the trade deadline.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the longtime personal affinity Pistons general manager Troy Weaver has for Grant could lead to the team rebuffing all trade inquiries leading up to February 10th.
It remains unclear, for that matter, if even Grant gets moved. While there is no shortage of interest from contenders in the injured forward, Grant continues to have a staunch backer in Motown in Pistons GM Troy Weaver as he nears eligibility in the offseason for a four-year $112 million contract extension. Weaver is hardly the lone voice of influence in Detroit, where former player agent Arn Tellem wields considerable (and realistically the loudest) say as the Pistons' vice chairman, but Weaver, remember, recommended Grant to legendary Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim long before he was hired to lead Detroit’s front office. Hence the belief in various corners that he would prefer for Grant to stay.
Grant signed a three-year, $60 million deal with Detroit in the 2020 offseason. While that contract was broadly criticized as an overpay, Grant easily lived up to it during his debut campaign with the Pistons, showing varied self-creation ability that was largely dormant during previous stops with the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers.
The long-term promise of that surprising development wore off as last season continued, though, with Grant's efficiency gradually deteriorating. He's averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 2021-22, shooting 41.4% overall and 33.1% from beyond the arc—good for an ugly effective field goal percentage of 46.9, nearly six points below league-average.
The most prudent long-term approach for the Pistons, still in the early stages of a full-scale rebuild around No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, would be to trade Grant for assets before his value potentially diminishes any further. But relationships and culture matter in the NBA, and Weaver clearly believes Grant still has a lot to offer Detroit even though his age, contract status and the team's timeline toward respectability don't come close to aligning.
The Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and New York Knicks are among the teams interested in acquiring Grant, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week.
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