The fate of Jerami Grant has long been a major concern for Portland Trail Blazers fans and experts alike.
And it makes sense. The 3-and-a-half forward is 30 years old and stuck on a rebuilding team with four years left on his five-year, $160 million contract. Why should he end his career playing for lottery prizes?
Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire has floated an intriguing possible trade that could satisfy both sides.
As part of the deal, Portland would send Cleveland Grant, along with second-year contributors Kris Murray and Duop Reath.
The Blazers, meanwhile, would acquire forwards Caris Levert and Georges Niang, guard Ty Jerome, the Cavaliers’ first-round pick in 2031, as well as second-round picks in 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028.
If Cleveland were to acquire Grant, Mathur notes that he would instantly slot in as the club’s starting power forward. All-Star point guard Darius Garland and All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell currently man Cleveland’s starting backcourt, while All-Defensive Team big man Evan Mobley and All-Star Jarrett Allen would start at power forward and center, respectively.
After finishing the season with a 48-34 record and clinching the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland narrowly defeated the young and lanky No. 5 Orlando Magic in a tight seven-game first-round playoff series before losing to the Boston Celtics in a five-game second-round series. Boston went on to win its record-tying 18th league title.
The real question, of course, is whether adding Grant would be enough to put the Cavaliers at least among the East’s elite? Boston returns as the favorite to represent the conference in the NBA Finals again, but the newly revamped Philadelphia 76ers and somewhat reconfigured New York Knicks are suddenly close behind them, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers looming as potential spoilers (the Miami Heat, despite having two All-Star talents in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, wasted their offseason twiddling their thumbs and letting go of a key player for a rival in now-Sixer Caleb Martin). There’s a fair bit of positional overlap with Cleveland. Mitchell is an atypical guard, as a point guard-sized option who’s more effective with the ball in his hands. Garland had a down year due largely to injuries, but it remains to be seen whether they can reliably thrive together. Mobley may be better suited to play center, but Allen is the most prominent presence inside so far, and he’s still pretty talented around the rim. Even with Grant’s defensive versatility and floor-moving ability, it’s hard to see this somewhat mismatched group dominating the Celtics, Sixers or Knicks in any way.
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