Nearly every NBA deal signed has its fans and critics. Have they overdone it over the years? Are players not properly compensated to accurately reflect their ability and impact on the team? Is there a better player that could have been signed for the same price?
But sometimes decisions are so clear that the sun is dazzling. in this case, portland trailblazers We need to give 28-year-old Jerami Grant an extension ASAP.
Franchise headlines off-season acquisitions detroit pistons for the future milwaukee bucks Made possible by a $20 million deal exception in a deal with CJ McCollum new orleans pelicans.
transaction Reportedly at the urging of Damian Lillard, Who was tied with power forward during Team USA’s 2021 Olympic campaign.
Portland won Grant for relative steals, but now has to contend with his pending unlimited free agency. And the way he plays doesn’t come cheap. I don’t think Grant will hit $30 million a year, but he could be very, very close, especially if he can add an NBA All-Star to his career in the coming months.
Currently, extensions cannot be signed until January. Perhaps Grant will wait to sign a deal until the All-Star team is announced later in the same month, hoping his price will go up a bit more. The difference is probably negligible when you think about it.
why he deserves it
Many were concerned that Grant’s impressive stats on a low Detroit Pistons team wouldn’t translate to a roster that already owned premier players such as Lillard. to the Denver Nuggets — after his former team, Oklahoma City Thunder, It was dispatched and dismantled by the Blazers during the first round of the 2019 playoffs.
In Denver, Grant played a little further back in the pecking order, backing up Paul Millsap and having less playing time than Nikola Jokic, Will Burton and Jamal Murray. Despite doing so, he chose to leave the Nuggets with the Pistons in order to commit to a bigger role.
As many have already observed, Grant’s role on the Blazers was the ultimate sweet spot. Grant has less responsibility than Detroit and more than his time in Denver, but Lillard’s absence probably doesn’t matter much.
Indeed, no one doubted his defensive abilities. At 6-foot-8 and with a wingspan of nearly 7-foot-3, the former Syracuse star has the length, strength and agility to guard just about anyone who comes in front of him on his basketball court. We probably won’t let him guard Jokic, Joel Embiid or DeAndre Ayton for an extended period of time, but that’s unlikely anyway.
Questions about Grant always related to the offensive side of the ball and his below-average rebounding percentage for his size and position, scoring around four in a game. Rebounding is still a ‘wait and see’ thing, but offense isn’t an issue at all.
No one can argue his offensive repertoire isn’t comprehensive, and no one can argue that he’s a proposition with good stats and bad team types. In just his 21 games this season, Grant has put up very efficient numbers with his 23.9% utilization. This is consistent with the Pistons era.
Grant has scored on all three levels, creating a stunning fadeaway that would make even Old Dark Nowitzki grin. 60%, two times and he had a split of 40% between the three tries, with Grant achieving his 48% particularly satisfying from the latter.
The midrange is still alive, with Grant putting up almost 40% from 10+ feet away and 65% within 3 feet of the rim. The New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month.
Elite multi-purpose two-way wing/forward
The Blazers have three players over 6 feet 6 inches who can comfortably and reliably put the ball on the floor. Justice Winslow, Trendon Watford, Grant. Unfortunately, his first two are flawed offensively and vulnerable to the defensive side i.e. shooting. But Grant actually has flaws, as many call him the last impacting power forward the team has had since LaMarcus Aldridge moved his talents to South Texas. not.
I think we’ve covered this before, but Alpha Luke Aminu, Moe Harkless, Carmelo Anthony, Robert Covington, Anthony Tolliver, and Zach Collins all had NBA skills, but those skills were 1 It was dimensional or two-dimensional and didn’t really mesh. Enough around Lillard. Simply put, they weren’t good enough.
Conversely, Grant offers nearly every skill in the NBA, much of it at the elite level. You can put him in just about any lineup. Yes, he’s played over 80% of his career with his fours, but the future All-Star could be very effective at placing his ball middle in his lineup. There is, and in a pinch small is agile and quick enough to play at his forward if needed. .
money
money. Well, as mentioned earlier, my best guess is that Grant could get him something in four years for about $27, $28, or $29 million a year. The Blazers already have him at 115 million for his 10 players in 2023-24, excluding Grant, Winslow and Josh Hart, who are likely to opt out of player options for 2023-24. We have contracts worth more than $10,000.
As far as other teams vying for Grant’s services, most of the Cap Space teams next year will be primarily tanking franchises — San Antonio Spurs, houston rockets, detroit pistons, orlando magic, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets When oklahoma city thunderdoes anyone know where utah jazz until then? again, memphis grizzlies When los angeles lakersbut I’m not sure it’s good enough to provide what Grant is likely to get.
Back in Portland, Hart will move for value in a required position before or at the February 9 trading deadline, and Winslow could land a new contract in Portland. I think it’s expensive. That would add about $37 million between Grant and Winslow, not to mention which player the Hart deal would get.
As a result, the team may dodge taxes this season, but will almost certainly return in 2023-24. I don’t know what Jodi Allen, or whoever owns the team on stage, wants to do, but whoever it is, they need to dig a little deeper into their pockets.
two timelines
Oddly enough, it’s one of the most controversial topics in the recently revamped Blazers. Of the 10 players locked for next season, only Damian Lillard and Gary Payton II will be over 30 at the start of the 2023-24 season, while Jussuf Nurkic will be 29.
The next oldest signings are Anfernee Simons, who turns 24 in June, and Nassir Little, who turns 23 in February.
But honestly, this probably isn’t as big of a deal as people think. Damian Lillard will be in Portland for the time being. That means the Blazers need to build a competitive team around him.
If Lillard changes his mind and seeks a trade elsewhere, Grant’s position on the roster will be moot. Even contracts that are in place may move.
The charm of Portland
You don’t know how much the fact that he was born in Portland – the son of former Blazer Harvey – means to him. His relationship with Lillard, on the other hand, is the biggest advantage the franchise has to hold on to Grant.
Conclusion
If the Blazers can’t extend his contract mid-season, it would feel a little bad to have Grant in unrestricted free agency. It can be silly to allow them to enter.
We waited seven years to pair Lillard with a non-offensive first guard teammate. He waited seven years for a forward who could compete on both ends of the floor. And we’ve been waiting seven years for someone taller than 6’4 to even make an All-Star team. should extend grants under $30 million annually as soon as possible.
