Trade Proposal Sends Blazers’ Jerami Grant To Lakers

One NBA analyst proposed that the Los Angeles Lakers trade Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the mock trade:

Trade idea: The Portland Trail Blazers trade Jerami Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, a 2029 first-round pick (top-three-protected) and a 2030 second-round pick

The Lakers are interested in trading for Grant.

However, the front office doesn’t want to trade a first-round pick for the wing, per NBA insider Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. 

“Slice the pick request in half, add a pinch of protection on the first and tack on a future second, though, and the Blazers should be in business,” Buckley wrote in his NBA trade proposal. “Hachimura and Vincent are both playable as long as Portland wants them, but ideally they’d be flipped for more draft considerations sooner than later so they don’t screw up the tank job ahead of a seemingly stacked 2025 draft.”

Grant is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, the agent who represents Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Grant appeared in 54 games for the Blazers in 2023-24. He averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 45.1% from the field, 40.2% from beyond the arc and 81.7% from the free-throw line.

Grant will make $29.8 million next season. He signed a five-year, $160 million contract with the Blazers last July.

The 30-year-old Grant has career averages of 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.0 blocks with the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Blazers.

“They’re stubborn,” an NBA exec told Deveney about the Blazers. “Part of the job is to be stubborn, though. But part of the job is also seeing your mistakes and getting out of them. Grant was a mistake. Trading him now just to get out of that salary is the right thing to do, take whatever picks or young guys you can get.”

The Lakers hired former NBA guard JJ Redick as their new head coach. Redick signed a four-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $8 million per season with the Lakers, who fired Darvin Ham after two seasons.