NBA Free Agency 2023: 3 landing spots for Jerami Grant you never thought of
By Jakob Ashlin
After an impressive three-year stretch, most of the buzz is suggesting Jerami Grant is headed back to the Blazers. But where else could he land?
In the 2020 offseason, Jerami Grant made a bold decision. He declined re-signing with the contending Denver Nuggets, in order to join the rebuilding Detroit Pistons.
The move gave the forward an opportunity to play a larger role, and he capitalized on it. In his first season with the Pistons, he averaged a career-high 22.3 points per game; that represented an increase of 10.3 points per game from his prior campaign.
After two years, the Pistons traded Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason. Grant was fantastic in his lone season in Portland, averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He shot an efficient 40.1 percent from 3-point range.
Notably, only two NBA players averaged 20+ points, 4+ rebounds, and 0.8+ blocks, while shooting 40+ percent from deep last season: Grant and Kevin Durant.
With the Blazers attempting to build a contender around Damian Lillard, keeping Grant will be a high priority for the front office this summer, but a player of his caliber should receive plenty of interest from around the association.
Here are three surprise landing spots.
Wild-card landing spots for Jerami Grant: 3. Sacramento Kings
Prior to the 2022 trade deadline, the Kings emerged as a “strong suitor” for Grant, per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.
It would make sense for the franchise to make another run at him this offseason. They dumped Richaun Holmes’s contract on draft night to open up cap space. That is a clear signal that the Kings will be aggressive in free agency.
With four returning starters under contract (De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis), they could look to upgrade the small forward spot. Grant would be a logical fit.
The Kings have a clear path to reach $30.146 million in cap space by renouncing cap holds for Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb, Terence Davis, Alex Len, Corey Brewer, Matthew Dellavedova, Keon Ellis, Neemias Queta, and Chimezie Metu. In this scenario, they would retain their room mid-level exception ($7.722 million) and the early bird rights for Trey Lyles. Subsequently, they could offer Grant a four-year, $120 million deal.