Getty Jerami Grant, when he was with the Denver Nuggets, and the Lakers' LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been exploring a way to land Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant, although the situation seems to have hit a major snag.
Grant doesn’t want to be the third wheel behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, per Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus. Grant, who has averaged 21.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over his last two seasons on a bad Detroit team, considers himself as a star in the league, Pincus said on “The NBA Chats” podcast.
“He left Denver to become a primary offensive player on a team. That’s how he views himself, right or wrong,” Pincus said. “I don’t think he wants to go back to being what he was in Denver, which was the primary defender and a catch-and-shoot guy. Playing in a corner, 3-and-D — I just don’t think that’s what he wants. That’s going to limit the number of teams that go after him.”
Pincus made it clear with a follow-up tweet that the Lakers felt a deal wouldn’t make sense in the long term for either the player or the team.
“I’ve actually heard Lakers have passed on Jerami Grant,” Pincus said. “That he doesn’t want to play a tertiary role behind LeBron and AD. The Lakers would also have to invest big money (extension) in him. There’s also the issue of return value for a rebuilding Pistons team.”
Pistons Not Getting Strong Offers for Grant
NBA reporter Marc Stein said the Lakers offered Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and a 2027 first-round pick for Grant, per Kevin O’Conner of The Ringer, but the Pistons declined.
“Maybe there’s a way to make it happen but I don’t think Detroit values [Horton-Tucker] the way the Lakers need to,” Pincus wrote on January 24. “You’d have to do a multiteam trade to get Detroit something they do value.”
If the Lakers were set on making a deal for Grant, one thing working in their favor is lack of interest in Grant, according to James Edward III of The Athletic.
“In regard to Grant and the trade market, I’ve gathered that the offers aren’t pouring in right now,” Edward wrote on January 23. “The majority of the chatter and interest you’ve heard in regard to Grant are more conversations than anything concrete. I do expect that to change as the deadline gets closer, but as of now, from my understanding, not many formal offers have been placed in front of Detroit.”
Grant Set to Get Paid With Next Deal
Grant, 27, is expected to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-2023 season, when he will have made $21 million, according to Spotrac.
If the Lakers plan to keep Davis and James, paying Grant the salary he likely will get on the open market could be difficult, Pincus predicted.
“[Grant’s] going to be close to 32 after his next contract, and if you’re paying him $30 million towards the end of that, that’s a lot to take on if you keep paying AD and LeBron,” Pincus said.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst speculated on the January 25 episode of his “Hoop Collective” podcast that Grant would want a contract extension sooner than that.
“He still wants to sign a contract extension this summer,” Windhorst said, also mentioning Grant’s list of preferred destinations. “I think he’s eligible for one over $100 million. If he gets traded somewhere, he wants to get traded somewhere he’s going to get paid.”