Troy Weaver and the Pistons held onto Jerami Grant at the trade deadline. It doesn't mean they won't revisit his market this summer.
"There was a tremendous amount of interest in Jerami," Weaver said shortly after the deadline. "Teams just didn’t have enough to get him. We just weren’t going to give the guy away. A 28-year-old versatile wing player in the NBA, on that contract, is hard to find. We weren’t parting with Jerami just to part with him."
Would they part with him for a lottery pick in this year's draft? They might have one coming their way from Portland -- which would give Weaver a chance to supercharge Detroit's rebuild in June.
The Trail Blazers are "expected to seriously pursue" Grant this offseason, according to The Athletic, and "will explore offering" Detroit the 2022 first-round pick they're set to receive from the Pelicans (via the CJ McCollum trade) if it falls between Nos. 5 and 14 overall. The Pelicans are currently in a three-way tie for the ninth best lottery odds.
Per The Athletic, the Blazers' potential package for Grant "falls behind competing teams" that will be vying for his services if they don't have the Pelicans' first-rounder to offer.
Grant has been a bargain for the Pistons since inking a three-year, $60 million deal with the club two offseason ago, but he's eligible for a four-year, $112 million extension this summer that might not mesh with Detroit's long-term plans. The Blazers would be looking to pair him with superstar Damian Lillard, who was teammates with Grant on the USA team that captured Gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
If the Pistons do trade Grant this summer, expect Weaver to sign another veteran to replace him on Detroit's young roster, which could feature two lottery picks, the 2021 first overall pick and three 2020 first-rounders next season.
"In the restoration process, we can’t have a total cattle call," Weaver said. "We need some good veteran players to help them grow, and we see Jerami as one of those players that can continue to help these young guys grow. So as we continue to restore, whether it’s Jerami or anybody else, we’ll have a good mix of young payers with some veteran presence."