Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant still appears on track to become a free agent this offseason rather than accepting the maximum four-year, $113MM extension he can sign until June 30. Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report said he doesn’t expect the annual salary on Grant’s next deal to be worth more than about $30MM, but suggests that the forward may be waiting until free agency in order to get a fifth year from Portland.
“I think it’s going to come out around five years, $150 million, with probably a player option,” Highkin said. “I know he gets talked about as one of the top free agents on the market, but I’d expect that gets done pretty quickly. It might even be a (6:01 pm) on June 30th type of signing.”
As for restricted free agents Matisse Thybulle and Cam Reddish, Highkin views Thybulle as the player who is more likely to re-sign with the Blazers, suggesting that the former Sixer will be a priority for the front office. Highkin is less certain about Portland’s appetite for a new deal with Reddish, telling Scotto that the team would probably have interest in bringing back the former lottery pick if the price is right.
Here are more highlights from the conversation between Scotto and Highkin:
- Scotto has gotten the sense that the Trail Blazers are comfortable keeping the No. 3 overall pick and drafting either Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson, even as they plan to continue building around Damian Lillard. However, Highkin believes Portland is far more likely to trade the pick for an established veteran, mentioning two-way forwards like Jaylen Brown and Pascal Siakam as potential targets while downplaying the likelihood of the club pursuing offensive-minded players like Zach LaVine. Another Raptors forward, OG Anunoby, has also been linked to the Blazers and would be a good fit on the roster, but Highkin doesn’t expect Portland to give up the No. 3 pick for Anunoby.
- There are some people in Portland who believe Shaedon Sharpe has All-Star potential, according to Scotto. Highkin agrees that the Blazers are high on Sharpe and expects he’ll be kept out of any trade that doesn’t return a superstar (“Joel Embiid or something like that”). Anfernee Simons is the more likely trade candidate, Highkin explains, given his larger cap hit and his fit next to Lillard. Sharpe, who has more size and defensive upside than Simons, is the more logical long-term backcourt partner for Dame.
- The Blazers may make some changes to their coaching staff this summer to give Chauncey Billups some more experienced assistants, Highkin notes. The organization remains optimistic about Billups’ potential as a head coach and wants to give him an opportunity to lead a more competitive roster, Highkin adds.
- When the Blazers signed Jusuf Nurkic to a four-year, $70MM contract last offseason, that didn’t necessarily mean they thought he was their center of the future, according to Highkin, who believes the team is “very open” to moving Nurkic and will explore trade possibilities this summer. Highkin suggests that Nurkic’s willingness to be shut down with a leg injury in 2021/22 when Portland went into tank mode played a part in Portland’s decision to “take care” of him in free agency last summer.
All these so called “experts” still saying Jalen Brown is a two way player are so WRONG, unless the two way is him looking in two directions on defense, he has been horrible on defense for a few seasons.
His defensive rating was the exact same as his team’s this past year and opponents shot slightly below the league average with him as the closest defender last year from every distance. He’s not a world-class defender by any means, but he’s not any worse than average. I agree that that doesn’t exactly make him a 2-way player, though.
You are right. Brown is awful defensively regardless of what gullible “reddit” devotee’s say.
I swear all you have to do is write the words “official” on a piece of paper and 98% of the dimwits that believe reddit lies would pawn it off as fact.
Jaylen Brown sucks on defense, Tatum is actually a little better, and Smart is leaps and bounds better than both.
…what exactly does Reddit have to do with *anything*?
Lies, and people believing whats written on a piece of paper Vs what they see with their eyes!
Especially regarding a live action sport like basketball.
Metrics, analytics, and #’s are only as good as the data entry specialist.
What happens on the court consistently that is viewable is often not consistent with #’s given as an analytic tool. Often.
I don’t even have words for how bad of a take that is.
Because you are a millenial, and devoid of experience or reason probably.
Your take is worse, and because you are a fanatic, and enjoy watching bad teams suffer at the expense of others’, or “your team”
Don’t make this a knowledge about basketball argument. Its juvenile, and telling of your Millenial tripe
I am a *Cavs fan*. The Blazers and Raptors have little to nothing to do with me. But I enjoy the actual sport of basketball more than I follow any team. Great job with the biased assumptions, and resorting to insults the second I disagree with you.
Clearly he is an angry boomer that took time out of his busy day of yelling at clouds to tell you that advanced stats are junk science and the eye test is all that matters. I would like an explanation as to how analytics are reliant on a data entry person…are you suggesting the industry relies on one single data entry person and uses that bad data to formulate their numbers? Even when you have competing figures in multibillion dollar industries? I would hope they have a QA team in place to catch any data entry errors. Or at least would use more than one source of data.
News flash boomer, millennials are now in their 40s. This lack of experience trope doesn’t hold water anymore. Time to start picking on Gen Z
Can’t we all just get along?
People still think he’s worth a super Max too lmao
Jaylen brown is terrible. Consistently flops in big situations, is awful defensively, can’t create his own shot.
Dude is absolutely terrible, and whoever gives him that money is going to be absolutely screwed cap wise for the foreseeable future. Hopefully it’s Boston!
Can’t create his own shot ????? Bwaaaaaaa. Beast at it.
Couldn’t agree more! Terrible defender!
A Struss, Vincent, and Lowry lit him up.
If Smart wasn’t there it would have been a sweep for Miami
Truthfully, Boston is screwed cap-wise anyway, with the new CBA rules and needing to build around Tatum. Even if they traded Brown for no returning salary, they’d still be over the cap for next year, almost certainly.
Some people look at steals, and if a player averages a couple steals per game,they think he is a good defender. I think Brown is a good defender, but has lapses in awareness, sometimes gets caught going to jump in the passing lane for a steal.
I would really prefer Siakam to Brown if I were a Blazers fan. Moving Grant to SF (and obviously re-signing him) would suit them better than trying to fit Brown in while also giving Sharpet minutes. Grant is a great forward, but he doesn’t do enough on the glass for my taste to fit in as a starting PF. Banking on the obvious upside of Sharpe would be the move at the 2. Moving Nurkic is kind of a must, because he’s good, but the kind of big you want for a playoff contender.
Stop talking about this if you are not a blazers fanatic, or atleast stand up and say what fanatic of what team you are…
Recommending bad deals for a team you don’t care about, but then arguing about it?
Wouldn’t last long on a construction crew I’d bet!
What’s your personal beef with me, seriously? I’m trying to have a discussion, and you seem to have fun just insulting everyone, but me especially. How about actually discussing what I’ve put out with evidence, instead of screaming opinions and insults.
“What exactly does reddit have to do with anything”
Snarky, and rude!
Facts, evidence? Do you vet the analytics, and metrics charts? Checking that every metric was data logged, and entered properly and accurately?
Every rebound, point, assist, turnover?
Who can log and track every metric for every game played, and then verify its accuracy?
There is more than a bit of trust, or gullibility on the part of the reader, or inhaler of such information, or reporting.
I use my eyes for that. Along with suggestive metrics, and analytics. Suggestive, not fact, or truth.
Facts, evidence, or truth? What are you after?
Evidence of Jalen Brown being a lousy defender? How about the 2023 playoffs, or the last 7 games he just played? Is that not evidence enough?
Or does some company need to claim they did a survey, and you read it?
I think you are confident in facts that may be facts, but that doesn’t mean those data points are the truth.
Snarky and rude, really? That’s pure confusion. I had absolutely no idea where you were going with that.
As for the rest, I’m just going to ignore it. Clearly you’re just trying to do exactly what OF said.
Then word it with respect.
What does that have to do with anything?
Google NBA reddit.
I’m not your daddy
Respect is earned.
I wasn’t commenting to your comment in the first place!
Are you unaware of how the comment section works?
I responded to someone else, and you took it upon yourself to have a problem with someone not addressing you?
Yes, snarky and rude. Like a little boy
How is asking “What exactly does reddit have to do with anything” come off snarky and rude? I was wondering the same thing and was confused by where that comment came from. Do people go on reddit and talk about basketball players? This site isn’t reddit and I would assume most people have never been to that site.
I assume 99% of the drivel commented on here aligns 100% with the tripe on reddit.
Then don’t go there and stop commenting here, X. Win-win for you, and for everyone subjected to your comments.
Didn’t come off as an ask. Came off as a passive aggressive statement, and comment.
I wasn’t responding to this idiot in the first place!
XMAXX, you clearly just love listening to yourself talk. Not providing an ounce of insight but trying to ***t on this guy for adding to the discussion? You are miserable
You are the heavy?
Spare me your dim view.
An ounce of insight? I need to type comments that you can look up on a google search to criticize?
I shat on nobody!
I posted a comment to a commenter. Another commenter who disagreed with the original comment, commented to me, but my goal is to go out of my way shatting on people?
Great story, and investigative journalism!
You posted three opinions based on anecdotal evidence, implied that I was “gullible”, and then started insulting me when I asked a question of where you were going with the reddit comment. How is that not being insulting? I even agreed with the OP that Brown doesn’t qualify as a 2-way player!
Whatever, F this. As much as muting people annoys me, dealing with your crap is worse.
I was never talking to, or addressing you.
Your first volley at me was I’m a full of poop a-hole that needs to provide you with information I wasn’t talking to you about?
Because what does it have to do with anything?
It was rude, and if you don’t like it, start by commenting to folks who post a comment for you to criticize, or are actually addressing, or talking to you about your comment.
You are crapping on Portland because you view them as crap, so they will take anything.
Its annoying, and why maybe you should stick to Cavs ball.
What about Siakam, OG and a Poetle sign and trade for #3, Simon’s & Sharpe + whatever POR needs to add for salary.
I don’t think the Blazers can match salary on that without also including Grant as another S&T. Simons, Sharpe, and Nurkic together only accounts for about 48 mil. OG, Siakam, and Poeltl together would likely be 71 mil, assuming about 15 mil per year for Poeltl. Nassir Little is only making 6.3 mil next year, and nobody else is worth re-signing for that much.
I’d take it without giving up Grant if I were the Blazers, but I don’t think the financials work.
What about Siakam and S+t of Trent for Sharpe, #3, Simons and Nukic? Raps can then trade FVV in a S+T perhaps to Orlando for a PG, Isaac, plus a pick? Flip Nurkic somewhere else and sign Poetl.
Trent hated his time in Portland. I doubt he’d agree to a S&T back there.
Good point on Trent. Would FVV fit instead? Don’t watch any Por games so I’m a little ignorant on their needs and play style.
Portland needs wings and a Center. They have Damian Lillard, so they don’t need guards. Or rather, they need a guard who can defend and score at a high level. FVV is neither.
The Magic would otherwise have to include a second pick if they want to send Isaac as part of the return; his potential comes second to his Zion-esque injury problems. As for the rest, I don’t think the Blazers would be in a hurry to regain Trent after how much he hated his first stint with them.
Good point on Trent. See comment above. Maybe FVV? Maybe switch out Siakam for OG as he makes less $ and include FVV in a s+t?
Annunoby is staying put until someone values his deal like Toronto did.
The guy flat out doesn’t show up for games. Siakam too.
Toronto stunk horribly, fired their coach, underachieved, but now teams should be looking to bail Toronto out of some bad contracts?
Only Embid, and Annunoby sort-of fit the bill, but Embid is injured all the time, or resting, and Lavine is a knee injury away fron being out of the league. Brown is a terrible defender, and Portland is better off sticking with Simons.
Reddish can go, Thybulle is fine on a minimum contract, but not much more or that’s a total waste of cap.
Portland has struggled to find a 3, or a 4 for decades. Its their Achilles heel. I’d trade Nurkic, see what the market churns up.
Whatever they do, they need to hang on to Sharpe, and if possible, the #3. I’d prefer to see them get a haul for Lillard, and then build around Sharpe, Simons and either Miller or Henderson. But if they keep Lillard, I hope they can find a way to keep the #3 and still add another decent player or two. Whatever they do, I don’t think they’re capable of adding enough support for Lillard to make a run at a title. Without Lillard, not make the playoffs for a few years, or with Lillard and better support, make the playoffs and make the usual early exit. Why not just blow it up?
Simmons + Sharpe + 3 for Brown?
Too much in my opinion. Maybe Simons + Sharpe + FRP#23.
But really, I’d prefer Draymond Green if he wants to make a move. He brings defense and championship mentality. I also don’t think he would be as costly from a trade perspective.
I’d also try to get GPII back in that trade.
Finally, how about getting Brooks out of MEM. Come back to Oregon. Bring that defensive intensity. Rehabilitate the brand. Play alongside Draymond and learn how to run a circus of disruption properly :).
Chauncey would get a ton of defense to surround 50 pt Dame.
Blazers needd a true PF. Not a SF playing PF, like Grant. Grant is amazing player that they need to resign for sure, but Nurk needs help in the lane. He’s on an island while Grant is heaving up perimeter shots. We have very little interior presence. Every opponents game plan involves taking it straight to the hoop, through the Blazers interior defense, …or lack thereof. Like a hot knife through
butter! Siakim is the best off-season target of any of the names that have surfaced. Just can’t give up the farm for him. 3rd pick and Simons will do.