Two massive contracts recently signed by the Portland Trail Blazers are on the wrong type of list. Keith Smith from Spotrac ranked the ten worst NBA contracts, and the first two places were not surprising. Afterward, the Blazers’ outsized influence on the roster became quickly apparent.
At number six is Portland’s Jerami Grant, last summer’s recipient of a five-year, $160 million grant. contract. But it’s less about the current value of the deal.
Grant’s contract is good for now. It will probably be good next year too. These are the last three seasons at over $102 million where things could go wrong. Grant recently turned 30. This means he will be a 34-year-old winger who relies on his athleticism at the end of this contract. This is very worrying.
This isn’t Grant’s first appearance on this kind of list. It already appeared on a similar one in early July, ranking of the worst contracts from 2023 NBA free agency.
Meanwhile, a player who was instrumental in Grant’s arrival in Portland, All-Star Damian Lillard, arrives on the list at number ten. Portland signed it until a maximum extension in 2022, naming it “Trail Blazer for life”. He requested a trade a year later.
Lillard still plays at a high level…most of the time. However, occasional breakages of 3 out of 17 are occurring more and more often. And Lillard’s defense went from bad to really bad. None of these things are likely to be reversed, as Lillard will be 34 at the start of next season. And look, we get it. Lillard earned this contract primarily based on his past performance. That’s how it works for guys at the end of their career. But that doesn’t mean the Bucks won’t work on this contract when Lillard is making well over $50 million at ages 35 and 36.
Lillard is signed for the 2026-27 season. As part of Portland’s trade with Milwaukee, the Blazers obtained the Bucks’ unprotected 2029 first-round pick, as well as the right to trade picks in 2028 and 2030.
