Before taking the leap to become a playoff team again last season, the Detroit Pistons were stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, not winning more than 23 games in a season for five straight years. Not only were there a ton of losses during this period, but there were also a slew of mistakes in free agency, trade market, and roster decisions.
A few of those involved former Pistons forward Jerami Grant. After signing in Detroit for a three-year, $60 million contract in the 2020 offseason, Grant had the best season of his career, finishing with 22.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in an increased offensive role. This earned him a second-place finish in the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Yet, he couldn't prevent Detroit from going 20-52.
Former Pistons Forward Jerami Grant Causing Headaches for New Team
Instead of acknowledging how far they are from contention and trading Grant for a massive package, the Pistons decided to keep the core together and win 23 games the season after. They eventually realized that they had no choice but to trade Grant and moved on from him in the summer of 2022, for a first-round pick and two second-round picks, a far worse return than what they could have gotten earlier.
One solace the Pistons can find in all of this is that at least they didn't mess up as badly as Grant's new team, the Portland Trail Blazers. After trading for Grant, the Blazers gave him a five-year, $160 million contract extension. The veteran forward has two more years under contract and has a player option for $36.4 million for the 2027-28 season. He has played nowhere near that level since arriving in Portland and had a miserable 2024-25 campaign, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on 37.3/36.5/84.9 shooting splits.
The decline in his performance, combined with his contract, makes Grant one of the most difficult players to trade in the NBA. Luke Adams of HoopsRumors suggested in his Blazers season preview that Grant doesn't have much trade value at this point, and Portland will likely have to hold onto him for the time being.
Pistons fans are understandably frustrated about not moving on from Grant earlier to get a better trade return, but at least they are not in the position the Blazers are in now. Plus, they now have a solid playoff team that they can root for for a long time.