Has Jerami Grant Played His Last Game as a Detroit Piston?
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It was recently reported that Pistons forward Jerami Grant will miss the remainder of the season with a left calf strain that was suffered on March 25th against the Washington Wizards.
https://palaceofpistons.com/2022/03/28/jerami-grant-to-miss-remainder-of-2021-22-season/
With the off-season around the corner, many are wondering if Jerami Grant has played his last game as a Piston. Grant was the hottest topic of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, rumored to be connected to Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento, Chicago, and Los Angeles Lakers. Grant is currently under contract with Detroit through the end of the 2022-23 season and is owed $20,995,000 in his final year. However, it is rumored that Grant is wanting an extension where he is paid $112 million over 4 seasons, and is a focal point of the offensive game plan, per Jake Fischer. This was originally reported during the 2022 trade season.
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With the emergence of young players Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and Marvin Bagley III, Detroit is in a position where developing (and paying) the young guys should be at the top of the agenda. With Detroit putting together a record of 12-21 in games when Grant doesn't play and 11-36 when Grant does play, it is clear the Pistons may be inclined to move on from Grant this off-season before potentially losing him to free agency for nothing in 2023.
The team most tied to wanting Grant's services is the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been adamant about building a roster around all-star guard Damian Lillard. It has recently been reported by Marc Stein that the Blazers attempted to trade for Grant at the deadline, but Detroit was seeking for than wing Josh Hart and draft compensation. However, now that Portland is out of the playoff picture, they could offer Detroit something more enticing without having to include a player. Portland's 2022 first-round pick is owned by Chicago, but will now convey to Portland, as it is lottery protected. The Blazers also own the New Orleans Pelicans 2022 first-round pick if it lands between picks 5-14. If Portland ends up with two lottery picks in this draft, it would not be surprising to see them try to send at least one of those picks for Grant, who would become the second option behind Lillard.
Detroit goes into the off-season with $31.4 million in cap space. If Detroit ultimately decides to move on from Grant, they will open up even more cap space.
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With guys like Deandre Ayton (restricted), Miles Bridges (restricted), Jalen Brunson, Anfernee Simons (restricted), Malik Monk, and Mitchell Robinson on the market this off-season, Detroit could have a platoon of money to throw at one (or even two) of those guys, while also still having cap space for the eventual extensions of Cunningham, Bey, Stewart, and Bagley (if they choose to re-sign him this off-season).
If Grant has indeed played his final game in a Pistons uniform, he will finish his two seasons in Detroit with averages of 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks on 42.8/35.3/84.2 percent shooting split.
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