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Subscribe to the newsletter to receive Lakers news. GET LAKER NEWS Share on Facebook or Twitter. Share via email.More sharing possibilities. 0 Shares. By Jonathan Adams. Updated July 2, 2024, at 4:57pm. Rui Hachimura (Getty Images) The Los Angeles Lakers could consider trading Rui Hachimura for Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant. As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle in NBA free agency, the team may need to look to the trade market to add crucial players. One name that has been mentioned as a possible fit for Los Angeles is Portland Trail Blazers starting forward Jerami Grant. Bleacher Report offered a trade concept in which the Lakers land Grant by sending Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and a futureThe Blazers acquired Natt and a future first-round pick. Grant would join LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles, where he would score 20 points each game. “We’ve heard rumors that this is something that may be discussed,” Bleacher Report stated during a July 1, 2024 live stream. “It appears that the Lakers are unwilling to give up too much.
Jerami Grant does not have a terrific contract. He is making a lot of money. It is for the next four years and will cost roughly $30 million or more [per year]. It’s not perfect, but I believe Jerami Grant is a great fit for the Lakers. “You can form a frontcourt with LeBron, Jerami Grant, and Anthony Davis. He offers you some defense.
He offers shooting and mobility to the frontcourt.”If the Lakers were only considering trading their two veterans for Grant, the deal makes a lot of sense. The issue is that Grant is on a less-than-ideal contract. Grant has four seasons remaining on his five-year, $160 million contract with Portland. The forward will be subject to a $29.7 million salary cap in 2024-25. Unlike free agency, James accepting less money during his next contract does not benefit the team in terms of cap room for Grant. NBA regulations require teams to trade comparable wages unless one team has enough cap room to absorb the contract. Taking on Grant’s deal through trade would give the Lakers less options in making future trades.Regardless of the financial danger, Grant looks to be someone Los Angeles has considered acquiring. Anthony Irwin of Audacy Sports said that the Lakers and Trail Blazers had been in “consistent talks” about Grant. “I’m told the Lakers and Trail Blazers have been in consistent talks about a deal for Jerami Grant,” Irwin wrote on X on June 30. “I wouldn’t call it particularly imminent but the sides have definitely been active most of today.”
Last season, Grant averaged 21 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from long range in 54 starts for the Blazers. After missing out on Klay Thompson, it will be fascinating to see if the Lakers are aggressive in pursuing Grant. It doesn’t hurt that Grant, like James and other Lakers players, is represented by Klutch Sports.