The Pistons may be open to trading forward Jerami Grant, and the Trail Blazers and Lakers are among the teams pursuing a potential deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
All three teams are expected to be active ahead of the trade deadline, with Blazers general manager Joe Cronin even admitting as much. Meanwhile, GM Rob Pelinka and the Lakers are clearly not satisfied with an uneven start that’s failed to live up to expectations.
The Lakers, Pistons and Blazers are also all among the teams with an interest in 76ers guard/forward Ben Simmons, as relayed earlier on Hoops Wire.
Grant has been mostly excellent in his season and a half with Detroit, but it hasn’t led to many more wins. The Pistons (4-22) appear to be headed toward another year with a top-five draft pick and are reportedly on the lookout for more dynamic young players or picks.
Grant, 27, is 6-foot-8 and leads the Pistons in scoring at 20.1 points. The Pistons just announced Sunday that he is expected to miss at least six weeks after suffering a ligament sprain in his right thumb.
That, of course, would make his return considerably closer to the Feb. 10 deadline and certainly lead to a multitude of rumors and potential suitors.
“Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer wrote today that Grant would make sense as a trade target for the Jazz — that sounds more like speculation than anything concrete, though it’s worth noting that Charania also said today that Utah is in the market for a ‘defensive-minded wing’ on the trade market,” wrote Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.
Grant will become eligible for a contract extension at the end of the season, Charania added, and his current injury isn’t expected to hurt his trade value.
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