Scotto: Coming into the trade deadline, a lot of people thought Myles Turner would be potentially one of the biggest names getting moved. One NBA executive I spoke to recently said, “Jerami Grant might be the most interesting name on the market besides Ben Simmons at this point.” That executive told me he thinks a first-round pick and a good young player could be enough to land Grant from the Pistons. The prevailing sense from multiple executives I’ve spoken with is that Grant could probably garner the equivalent of two first-round picks and an expiring contract, or a first-round pick and a really nice young player with an expiring contract to offset Grant’s salary.
Another executive said, “I think something like two firsts will get it done for Jerami Grant. The Pistons stink, and he doesn’t fit their timeline. They signed him in free agency in a rebuild, and turning him into two first-round picks would be a win for Detroit.”
It was interesting to see how he wanted to leave a playoff team like Denver to have a bigger role in Detroit. Now, he has that role and showed what he can do. I’m curious if there’s a happy medium for Grant out there where he can go to a team and be in a role that keeps him happy. I don’t think, for example, that type of role would be in Chicago as the fourth option. I wonder how that’ll affect the market because Grant has extension leverage coming up, and it’s going to come at a hefty price. He could have a little bit of a say in where he could go.
Gozlan: We spoke a good amount about potential Jerami Grant destinations last week. Jake Fischer reported the Wizards are considered a favorite to trade for him, which is really interesting. He adds that a framework could consist of Deni Avdija or Rui Hachimura as assets and Montrezl Harrell. I’m not a fan of Grant to the Wizards because there’s a lot of overlap with Kyle Kuzma. I guess you could pair them together for a very lengthy versatile frontcourt, but I’m just not seeing how much better the team gets with him. There are also some luxury tax concerns going forward. He wants that four-year, $112 million extension he’s eligible for. If the Wizards want to trade for Grant, they probably want to send out more salary to stay below the tax this year. They’re already going to have some tax issues next season, assuming they re-sign Bradley Beal to a max contract. Adding Grant to that mix makes it very complicated putting the rest of the roster together. For Washington to take back Grant, I think it makes sense if they also get off another long-term contract like Davis Bertans.
Scotto: Yossi, you touched on Jake’s reporting. I also heard one of Detroit’s offers for Ben Simmons was slightly different, with the package being Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey and Josh Jackson straight up for Ben Simmons, which was rejected. Currently, Philadelphia doesn’t view Detroit as a trade partner for Simmons. Among the teams still keeping tabs on Simmons in the trade market are the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers.
Speaking of the Wizards, as you touched on, Yossi, Aaron Holiday is available, and multiple teams have checked in on his price tag with Washington, league sources say.