The Portland Trail Blazers are officially rebuilding. They recently sent shockwaves across the NBA. The Blazers sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, this franchise is focused on the future.
As they should be. There’s plenty of young talent in Portland. Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and now, Deandre Ayton are this team’s future. That said, they’ve still got some loose ends to tie up. The Blazers have some useful veterans on this roster. In time, they should trade them to contenders to improve their future.
In all likelihood, they’ll trade Jrue Holiday soon. It seems that Portland acquired him to flip him. Meanwhile, they can’t trade Jerami Grant yet, but they’re expected to as soon as they legally can. Could they send him to the Oklahoma City Thunder?
The Trade Proposal
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F Davis Bertans, G/F Victor Oladipo, F/C Aleksej Pokusevski
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: F Jerami Grant
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been rebuilding for some time. Are they officially done? We wouldn’t go that far. Sure, the Thunder made impressive strides last season. According to General Manager Sam Presti, they aren’t ready to go all-in yet.
Recently, Presti addressed the possibility that the Thunder would make a big win-now trade. According to him, they’re not in any rush. That makes sense. The Thunder improved last season, but they’re still unable to compete for the NBA title. Even a play-in push next season would be a positive outcome for this franchise.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
So, the Thunder don’t have to empty their war chest of first-round picks. That doesn’t mean that they couldn’t make a smaller deal. If they wanted to, they could acquire a win-now player without breaking the bank. Would Grant be a sensible addition?
Why The Oklahoma City Thunder Do The Deal
We think so. The Thunder could use a multi-positional defensive wing. Grant fits the bill. Best of all, he shouldn’t cost them the farm on the trade market, either.
Why is that? Well, largely, it’s because Grant is on a long-term contract with a high average annual value. With that in mind, some Thunder fans won’t like this. Aren’t they bailing the Blazers out? Why should they take on Grant’s contract?
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
Well, because Grant is a very good player. Moreover, the cap is about to spike. This is a pricy deal, but it shouldn’t be impossible to move in a couple of years. If the Thunder want to take a step forward next season, Grant can help them accomplish that goal. Should the Blazers really send him to a Conference rival?
Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do The Deal
In all likelihood, the Blazers wouldn’t have extended Grant if they’d known they’d be forced to move Lillard. Sure. Hindsight is 20/20. As it stands, Lillard is a Buck, and Grant is still a Trail Blazer.
Some Blazers fans won’t love this return. They’ll feel as if they should be getting an unprotected first in exchange for Grant. In theory, they should. That’s roughly Grant’s worth from a pure basketball perspective. Unfortunately, that contract looms. Any team acquiring Grant is making a huge commitment – they may not be willing to surrender a first-round pick in the process.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
So, Portland is getting some cap relief instead. They’re also getting Pokusevski. He’s a polarizing player – depending on who you talk to, the man called Poku is either a future superstar or a future superstar in Europe. Still, he’s a talented young player worth taking a flyer on for the Trail Blazers. After all, they’re rebuilding – finally.
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