Trade Proposal Sends Jerami Grant To Lakers, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt To Blazers

One NBA analyst proposed that the Los Angeles Lakers trade D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxwell Lewis and a 2029 first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the mock trade between the Lakers and Blazers. 

“Grant probably isn’t a 20-point scorer on a good team, but he could be an efficient third or fourth option who increases the club’s versatility on defense,” Buckley wrote in his NBA trade proposal. “In the past, there may have been spacing concerns with slotting him alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but he alleviated many of them with a 40-plus percent splash rate on decent volume over the past two seasons. The 30-year-old isn’t quite a third star, but he could star in sort of a souped-up three-and-D role. And who knows, maybe if the Lakers can coax a leap year out of Austin Reaves, they’ll already have a third star in-house.”

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

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

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.

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.

The Lakers haven’t made any trades this offseason. They also haven’t signed anyone in free agency. 

“The Blazers would have little use for Russell beyond whatever his expiring $18.7 million salary is worth on the trade market, but they could see keeper potential in a do-it-all stopper like Vanderbilt,” Buckley wrote in his NBA trade proposal. “An unprotected future first from a team whose best players are all on the wrong side of 30 holds obvious appeal for a rebuilder, and Portland would have plenty of time to see if it can develop Lewis, the 40th pick of the 2023 draft.”

The Lakers are shopping Russell, who picked up his 2024-25 player option worth $18.7 million.

Russell averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in 2023-24 for the Lakers while shooting 45.6% from the floor, 41.5% from 3 and 82.8% from the free-throw line.