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The Portland Trail Blazers have made it very clear they will be big players ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, and it might not be just as a seller. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that the Trail Blazers could be trying to acquire Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant.
After trading away Norman Powell, Robert Covington and CJ McCollum, the Trail Blazers have received several assets they could flip for Grant, Fischer reported. He tweeted:
“Having already moved Norm Powell and CJ McCollum, Portland is still engaged in conversations with Detroit on acquiring forward Jerami Grant, sources said.”
It may look like the Trail Blazers are blowing it up and looking to begin a rebuild, but this report sheds light on other plans the Trail Blazers might have. Although Damian Lillard has been injured, he is still under contract through 2024-25 and is still one of the league's best point guards.
Trading for Grant would be a way to add a player who could impact the future, and the Trail Blazers could now have what it takes to get him. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has already confirmed that the Trail Blazers are building around Lillard by tweeting:
“Portland's plan is to reshape roster around Damian Lillard now fully. Portland created a $21M trade exception today, potentially $60M in salary cap space this summer, multiple draft picks and assets via Pels and Clippers trades. Plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat.”
Portland Trail Blazers fit with Grant
At the moment, it's tough to evaluate precisely what this Portland Trail Blazers roster will be. They have a first-year coach in Chauncey Billups as well as an interim general manager.
The Trail Blazers received assets within picks that could either be flipped for players or used in the draft. Plus, they picked up several young role players, headlined by Justise Winslow, Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. With the already bright spots on the roster, these young players could blend well with Lillard and anyone else they trade for.
Grant would be a great fit with the Trail Blazers for many reasons. He has proven to be an above-average defender who can defend multiple positions. Throughout Lillard’s time with the Trail Blazers, they rarely had a good defense, and in the NBA, it is hard to win in the playoffs without that.
On top of that, while playing for the Pistons, Grant has shown he can take a more significant role in an offense. Grant averaged 22.3 points per game, doubling his career average last season, but it never led to many wins. However, he at least showed he has the tools to be a second scoring option behind Lillard if need be.
Grant’s fit with Portland makes a lot of sense. He would solve many of the team's issues over the years while continuing to show support for Lillard.
