Potential Blazers/Grant Trade Comes With Financial Complications

According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Portland Trail Blazers are making the 7th overall selection open in trade talks, with hopes of getting back either Detroit’s Jerami Grant or Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby in a trade as to accelerate the re-tooling process they began at the 2022 trade deadline.

However, it needs to be pointed out that Grant and Anunoby aren’t on the same level in terms of trade value, and Grant’s contractual expectations further complicate matters.

Long-term finances

Grant is reportedly looking for a new contract worth $28 million annually, which is widely regarded as too rich a price tag, and soured a significant chunk of teams at the deadline on Grant when the Pistons were exploring trade possibilities. While Grant’s offensive game is greatly improved since joining Detroit, his further demand of being a featured offensive player raises questions. Will a team with Grant in a high-usage role be competitive in the postseason? That’s an answer the Blazers will need to have at hand before making such a trade.

Anunoby, on the other hand, is compensated at a much lower level, as he signed a four-year contract extension in 2020 worth $72 million. After the conclusion of this season, the 24-year-old forward has another two years on his contract, followed by a player option worth $19.9 million he almost assuredly is going to decline. The plug-and-play nature of his game is also significantly easier to build with, as opposed to shoehorning in a high-volume offensive player like Grant, who needs the ball in his hands.

The difference in compensation between Grant and Anunoby, assuming Grant gets his financial needs fulfilled, would end up being in the area of $11-12 million a year, or more than the full first-year salary of the non-tax mid-level exception. That isn’t insignificant considering the contract Damian Lillard is on, which pays him $42.4 million next season, $45.6 million in the 2023-2024 season, and $48.7 million the year after.

Anunoby would undoubtedly present a cleaner fit, both on the court, and from a salary cap sheet perspective, allowing the Blazers to build around Lillard in an easier manner.

Keeping the draft pick

Of course, Portland could decide to simply go in another direction by hanging onto the 7th overall selection, and try to go for youth. It’s unlikely they go in this direction due to Lillard’s age, but there’s merit in going younger and keeping options open for the future. They won’t get top pick favorite Jabari Smith or Chet Holmgren, but could be lucky to walk away with Keegan Murray or Jaden Ivey, if one of them slips.

Keeping the pick opens the possibility of pivoting away from Lillard in the near future, if they wish to take that approach instead, and be left with some semblance of a young roster, especially if they hang onto Anfernee Simons. The 22-year-old averaged 23.4 points over his final 27 games of the season, before he was ruled out with a knee injury. That type of encouraging production, combined with age, would make a Lillard trade easier to swallow, if the organization was ready to move on in an attempt at getting younger.

The Blazers also have the 36th and 59th selections in the June draft, suggesting they do have enough draft armory to make moves for the long-term, as opposed to short-term. Naturally, the 59th selection in particular would be difficult to hit on, but it does make an excellent draft-and-stash opportunity.

Only, back in the real world, it appears unlikely that the organization is willing to look at any long-term rebuild. It very much seems that the Blazers hope for Lillard to have a similar career like Tim Duncan, Reggie Miller, and Kobe Bryant in the sense of having him retire with the same franchise that drafted him. And there’s merit to wanting that, as long as Lillard himself gets a proper crack at a title, and soon.

Is Grant or Anunoby the key to make a Finals run? Anunoby probably more so, as you’d have to wonder if the Blazers are even getting fair value in return if they move the 7th pick for Grant. Regardless, history is working against Portland here in that such a team seems too low on talent and two-way production to make a proper push.

This summer will be challenging, for a variety of reasons, for Portland. And even more so if they don’t get full value out of their lottery pick.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.