The Portland Trail Blazers were one of the most aggressive sellers ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. They unloaded veterans with multiple seasons left on their contracts in CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Larry Nance Jr.
Powell was traded to the LA Clippers, along with Robert Covington, in a cap clearing move. McCollum and Nance were traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, who were buyers despite their spot in the Western Conference standings.
The goal for the Trail Blazers was to clear as much cap space as possible and added some draft capital in the process. Their plan is to rebuild the roster around Damian Lillard, who is reportedly feeling much better after undergoing surgery on his abdomen.
Lillard was unaware of how much the injury was impacting him, so we could see an even better version of him when he returns to the court.
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Portland certainly hopes that is the case, as they are banking on Lillard to help get the team back to contending next season. He will certainly need more help and they reportedly tried to give him some ahead of the deadline.
According to Marc Stein on his Substack, the Portland Trail Blazers attempted to trade for Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons. Detroit turned down the offer, as they wanted more than what the Trail Blazers were offering.
“The Pistons rebuffed those pitches, apparently wanting more than the Blazers could package at that stage in an offer said to feature Josh Hart and draft compensation,” Stein reported.
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It is not surprising that the Detroit Pistons would turn down that deal as Jerami Grant was garnering a lot of attention ahead of the NBA trade deadline. His market will be as robust in the offseason should Detroit entertain offers for him again.
Given the state of the franchise, moving on from Grant does make some sense. They aren’t close to contending and adding more assets to their young team is a good route to go down. As for Portland, they will most certainly try again to acquire him.
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The Portland Trail Blazers have a ton of cap space, so signing Jerami Grant to a lucrative extension that he is seeking shouldn’t be too troublesome.
With a relatively weak free-agent class this summer, trades are going to be the only avenue some teams have to upgrade their roster. Portland’s move ahead of the deadline ensured they would be players both in free agency and on the trade market.
