The Los Angeles Lakers continue to remain quiet in the offseason. GM Rob Pelinka has failed to make any moves to improve the roster despite trying hard in free agency and the trade market. They have notably missed out on several key targets, much to the disappointment of Lakers fans.
With the peak of free agency over and not many impactful players left on the market, the Lakers have to turn their attention to the trade market. Armed with two first-round picks and multiple tradeable contracts like D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles has a chance to bring in a couple of solid rotation players.
One of those players consistently linked to the Lakers is Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers. Even though the Blazers have stood firm in not moving their starting forward, the latest report by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian suggests that Portland will move him before the start of the regular season.
The Blazers reportedly have the goal of trading either Anfernee Simons or Grant in the offseason. This makes sense as the Blazers are in the early stages of a rebuild and want to give young players like Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Deni Avdija as many reps as possible.
Having a 30-year-old Grant take playing time and shots away from young players isn’t the best use of resources for the Blazers. Therefore, this could be an opportunity for the Lakers to trade for the veteran.
The previous reporting had suggested that the Blazers were looking for multiple first-round picks for Grant. However, Grant makes $29.7 million for next season and is under contract until the end of the 2027-28 season. It’s hard to imagine any team giving up so many assets for Grant at this point.
Therefore, the Lakers should be able to convince the Blazers to part ways with him in exchange for a potential package including Russell, Hachimura, and a first-round pick. Considering how difficult the Lakers have found it to strengthen their roster this summer, that may be their only hope.
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