After the Jerami Grant trade, what is next for the Portland Trail Blazers?

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 01: Jerami Grant #9 of the Detroit Pistons looks on against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC, After the Jerami Grant trade, what is next for the Portland Trail Blazers?. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement, After the Jerami Grant trade, what is next for the Portland Trail Blazers?. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The offseason is well and truly here, kicking off with a seismic trade that will have far greater implications than what many may believe.

As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday, “the Portland Trail Blazers are acquiring Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant for a protected 2025 first-round pick and additional draft assets”.

On complete face value, Portland fans should be thrilled, Detroit fans will be dumbfounded, and other teams’ fans will probably wonder what there is to care about. Grant had been linked to the Trail Blazers for quite some time, yet most believed any potential deal would have to include Portland’s seventh-overall pick in the upcoming draft.

After the Jerami Grant trade, what is next for the Portland Trail Blazers?

Instead, they got their man for a 2025 top-four protected first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks. While Giannis Antetokounmpo remains fit and healthy at the franchise, you’d expect that pick to convey to somewhere in the mid 20s.

It leaves many, including Pistons fans, questioning why they received so little value for a player who’d created so much buzz going back to before the mid-season trade deadline.

Grant appears like a good fit in Portland, giving superstar Damian Lillard a reliable wing who can shoot (shot above 35% from three in each of the past four seasons), defend, and even give you a little bit of shot creation (although these opportunities will dip next to Lillard).

Still, as good a deal and fit as it may seem from a Portland perspective, Western Conference rivals won’t be losing any sleep. As constructed, the Trail Blazers look like a team who will compete for a playoff spot rather than one with any major championship hopes.

But maybe this Grant deal is simply the first domino to fall in a big offseason in Portland. They still have the seventh pick, which according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, may be used in a deal to acquire Raptors forward OG Anunoby.

This is where it starts to become interesting, with the transaction opening up an array of different possibilities for both franchises. The Trail Blazers want to add pieces around Lillard and get back to relevance after a disappointing season, while the Pistons now have an exorbitant amount of cash to splash in free agency.

It’s clear Detroit simply wanted Grant’s salary off the books prior to free agency, even if you think they should have done it earlier for better compensation. According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Pistons now have over $56 million in cap room.

So, what’s next for the Pistons? What are their plans for free agency? Given their timeline built around last year’s number one overall pick Cade Cunningham, expect them to be in the market for one of these restricted free agents who’ve just completed their fourth year in the league.

That primarily sounds like DeAndre Ayton, who, in combination with Cunningham, could form a deadly pick-and-roll duo much like Ayton has with Chris Paul in Phoenix. Ayton’s potential inclusion then opens up questions on the Pistons’ other young big men in Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III.

Miles Bridges is another name that could certainly interest the Pistons, essentially replacing Grant in a similar kind of role while being more aligned with the Cunningham-Detroit timeline.

The whole point is that, even if you think the Grant deal doesn’t impact championship calculations for next season, it may have a domino effect on potential deals that could have major implications. Or, in the case of Detroit, it opens avenues to major deals that could prove to bear great significance in 3-5 years’ time.