Jerami Grant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Notes: Hayward, Bridges, Coaching Search, Harrell, Washington

May 5th, 2022 at 10:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is a name to watch in the trade market, though injuries limit his value, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, who conducted a podcast with Charlotte Observer beat reporter Rod Boone.

Hayward is regarded as a “neutral asset” that the Hornets can move. However, it’s unlikely they’ll benefit much in terms of cap space if they deal the veteran, who has two years and $61.5MM remaining on his contract. One executive told Scotto they might be able to move him for two players making around $10-15MM apiece.

The Pacers are an unlikely destination after trading away Domantas Sabonis and building around younger pieces.

More highlights from the podcast:

Both Scotto and Boone anticipate Miles Bridges will get $25MM or more annually in restricted free agency. Scotto sees Bridges as being coveted due to his status as a young, two-way, big wing. The Trail Blazers could pursue him if they can’t trade for Jerami Grant and teams with cap space, like the Pistons, could also be a factor. Boone believes he’ll return to the Hornets due to unfinished business with an improving team. The fact that he’s close with LaMelo Ball also works in Charlotte’s favor.
Neither Scotto nor Boone believe Mike D’Antoni is a viable option in the search for a head coach. Former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney are names to watch there. However, D’Antoni could wind up in Philadelphia if the Sixers let Doc Rivers go, according to Scotto.
Free agent Montrezl Harrell generally enjoyed playing with Charlotte this season and could return to the Hornets, depending upon the coaching hire. Harrell probably wouldn’t command more than the taxpayer mid-level on the open market, according to Scotto.
P.J. Washington, who is extension-eligible, is a movable piece and his name will pop up in trade rumors.

Blazers Rumors: Draft Picks, Grant, Cronin, Ownership

April 21st, 2022 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans’ play-in victories last week were bad news for the Trail Blazers, who would’ve received New Orleans’ 2022 first-round pick if it had fallen between No. 5 and No. 14. Having missed out on that pick, which ended up at No. 15, Portland will instead receive Milwaukee’s 2025 first-rounder (top-four protected). That future pick won’t be as valuable in trade talks for a team looking to accelerate its rebuild this offseason.

According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, it’s clear based on conversation with league personnel that the Blazers were operating under the assumption they’d have two lottery picks available, and there was a sense they’d try to use one of them to acquire an impact veteran like Pistons forward Jerami Grant.

“That was a big deal to them,” a Western Conference official told Fischer. “The expectation was certainly, ‘Once we get this pick, we’ll turn it into someone. We’ll overpay to get someone.'”

As Fischer and others reported at the trade deadline in February, the Pistons were seeking either two first-round picks or a first-round pick and a promising young player (such as Bulls forward Patrick Williams) in exchange for Grant. Detroit’s asking price will likely be similar this offseason, though there’s some skepticism it will be met, Fischer writes.

The Blazers’ willingness to overpay for a player like Grant will be diminished by the fact that they missed out on New Orleans’ lottery pick, according to Fischer, who says Portland hasn’t shown any desire to trade its own lottery pick, which will almost certainly land in the top eight.

Here’s more from Fischer on the Blazers:

Damian Lillard has indicated to the Blazers’ front office that he’d like to play alongside a “two-way, rangy” wing, sources tell Bleacher Report. In addition to Grant, Fischer names Aaron Gordon, Ben Simmons, and Jaylen Brown as players who would appeal to Lillard, though it’s unclear whether any of them will be available this offseason — Brown, certainly, appears to be off the table.
According to Fischer, interim general manager Joe Cronin appears likely to keep the Blazers’ GM job on a full-time basis. However, it’s possible the team will ultimately hire someone above him in the basketball operations hierarchy, like Philadelphia did by bringing in Daryl Morey to run a front office previously led by GM Elton Brand. Fischer’s sources are split on whether such a move is likely.
Since the regular season ended, multiple sources have suggested to Fischer that the Blazers could begin exploring the market for new ownership as early as this summer. Some league insiders believe a sale of the franchise could be completed before the end of 2023, Fischer adds. Jody Allen – the sister of longtime Blazers owner Paul Allen, who passed away in 2018 – currently controls the team.

Central Notes: Caruso, COVID-19, Bridges, Joseph, McGruder

April 18th, 2022 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Alex Caruso played 33 minutes in the Bulls’ Game 1 loss to the Bucks on Sunday. Coach Billy Donovan said Caruso has been dealing with back pain for several weeks and is trying to tough it out, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. He was limited to seven points and missed all but one of his five 3-point attempts.

‘‘He’s felt the best I think he has felt,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Is he 100%? No, but he’s a lot better than he was those games before he sat out. I do think with Alex [that minutes restrictions are] going to be somewhat important. I think if you start pushing him with his back up into the high 30s, I don’t think that would be really, really wise. You want to see how he’s feeling in the game. He kind of throws his body in there and plays incredibly hard and physical, so we’ll have to see how he responds.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Bucks are wary of how a positive COVID-19 test could affect their playoff run, coach Mike Budenholzer told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He noted how Paul George missed the Clippers’ second play-in game after testing positive. “There’s been a lot of positive movement. You just don’t want to forget, you’ve just got to know it’s still out there,” Budenholzer said. “When we had the conversation what happened with the Clippers and Paul George had happened and the coaching staff with Chicago. I’m guessing those things pop up in conversations in the locker room or at baskets and things like that. It’s not good, but in the sense of it just being a reminder in conversation, I think it’s helpful. Certainly our guys are aware.”
The Pistons could have the most cap space in the league this summer but a giant offer sheet for Hornets restricted free agent Miles Bridges wouldn’t be a wise move, James Edwards III of The Athletic opines. Bridges’ best position is probably at power forward and putting him in that spot wouldn’t be a long-term upgrade over Saddiq Bey, who can play either forward spot. If Detroit winds up with a top-three pick, the team will likely draft a power forward, which would force Bridges to play small forward with Bey moving out of position to shooting guard. The only way adding Bridges would make sense would be to trade Jerami Grant for a wing or to draft one with their lottery pick, Edwards writes.
Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press predicts that Grant, Cory Joseph and Rodney McGruder won’t return next season but that the Pistons will re-sign restricted free agent Marvin Bagley III.

Pistons Notes: Grant, Offseason, Bagley, Cunningham

April 14th, 2022 at 10:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver isn’t sure what kind of trade offers he might get for Jerami Grant this offseason, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. Grant was a hot name on the rumor mill prior to the trade deadline but the Pistons opted to hold onto their starting power forward. Grant will enter the final year of his three-year, $60MM contract and he’s eligible to sign an extension.

“Jerami demonstrated his efficiency in the way he fit with the group. I’m curious. I’m not sure. The deadline, people had their feelers out but nothing that blew us away,” Weaver said of Grant’s trade market. “Maybe something comes down the pipe. We’ll see. I don’t anticipate it being an avalanche. After the playoffs, some teams will feel like we can add a player or two, and maybe the phone rings a little more. I’m not sure. The landscape of the NBA changes weekly.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Armed with cap space and another lottery pick, Weaver plans to be proactive this offseason, Sankofa reports in a separate story. “We’re going to look at everything,” Weaver said. “We’re going to be aggressive, turn over every rock and vet it out and try to come back better as a team, whether it’s one guy, two guys or three guys. We’re going to be aggressive in our approach and make sure that we come out ready to go and hopefully put a better product on the floor.”
In the same story, Weaver hinted he wants to retain restricted free agent Marvin Bagley III, who was acquired Sacramento at the deadline. “Coach (Dwane Casey) and I talked about this, I didn’t give coach enough tools and the Bagley trade was a big tool for us,” Weaver said. “We didn’t have enough athleticism up front. We needed to address that, and we did. I feel better for the team that we were able to acquire that young man and give us a tool we didn’t have.”
Cory Joseph has no doubts that Cade Cunningham will be one of the league’s brightest stars for many years to come, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “He’s beyond his years,” Joseph said. “He’s already a star but he’s going to be a superstar in this league sooner rather than later. He’s an amazing talent. We all know what he can do with a basketball, but he doesn’t get sped up. Mentally, he’s there every possession, every play, and he wants it. You can tell in those big moments. He wants to be in those moments. He wants to be great.”

Northwest Notes: Reed, Blazers, Grant, Mann, Jazz

April 4th, 2022 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets guard Davon Reed earned praise from star center Nikola Jokic and head coach Michael Malone after he scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the team’s win over the Lakers on Sunday. As Mike Singer of The Denver Post writes, Jokic lauded Reed’s defense, while Malone said the 26-year-old had an “unsung hero type-of-a-game.”

However, as Singer observes, because Reed is still on a two-way contract, he remains ineligible to participate in the playoffs for the Nuggets. The team would have to waive someone from its 15-man roster and promote Reed to a standard contract to make him available for the postseason. Asked about that possibility, Malone raved more about Reed and said it’s an issue the team will discuss.

“Every time Davon Reed has gotten a chance to play this year, he’s found a way to help this team,” Malone said, per Singer. “I mean look at his line tonight — here’s a guy that’s a two-way player, 23 minutes, 10 points, couple of assists, rebounds, steals and he had an impact on the game. He’s in the game in the fourth quarter in a must-win game. I think that, in and of itself, speaks to my level of confidence with him. … That’s something that (head of basketball operations) Tim (Connelly) and I can talk about as we move forward.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Following up on reports from February that stated the Trail Blazers attempted to acquire Jerami Grant from the Pistons at the trade deadline, Marc Stein says in his latest Substack article that Portland’s offer was believed to include Josh Hart and draft compensation. Stein confirms the Blazers are expected to revisit the possibility of acquiring Grant in the offseason, as has been previously reported.
Tre Mann could be next to join the Thunder‘s growing list of players who have been ruled out for the season. Mann has been sidelined for the last four games due to a right hamstring strain and head coach Mark Daigneault doesn’t sound confident that the rookie guard will return this week, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “We’re working through it,” Daigneault said before Sunday’s game.
The reeling Jazz can’t be saved by anyone but their players at this point, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who says the front office and head coach Quin Snyder have done all they can with the current group. Utah has dropped six of its last seven games and has blown double-digit fourth quarter leads in its last two losses.

Central Notes: Ball, Grant, Carlisle, Guy, Wade

March 28th, 2022 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lonzo Ball will be reevaluated this week and “wants to come back and play,” Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets.

A week ago, the Bulls announced Ball would not run for 10 days. His rehab from surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee was halted after he felt discomfort in the knee. Ball’s reevaluation is expected to happen when the team returns from its road trip, which ends on Tuesday. There’s hope Ball can ramp up to full-speed running and cutting after he’s reevaluated.

“Lonzo really wants to come back and play. He wants to do everything possible…,” coach Billy Donovan said. “If we do start ramping up and [he doesn’t respond well again], I don’t know what they’ll do because we have not discussed that.”

Ball has been out since January 14.

We have from the Central Division:

Jerami Grant, the Pistons’ leading scorer, will sit out the rest of the season due to a left calf strain, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Grant suffered the injury against Washington on Friday. A prime trade candidate this offseason, he has one year remaining on his three-year contract.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has returned to the sidelines after leaving the team for two games due to personal reasons, James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star tweets. “Felt very bad about not going on that trip because it’s just a hard set of couple games, given our personnel situation. But we’ve got seven (games) left, and we’ve got to focus,” he said.
Guard Kyle Guy has rejoined the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League team, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Guy was waived by the Heat on Thursday. Guy signed a two-way contract with Miami in mid-January after playing with the Charge. He appeared in 19 games with Miami, averaging 3.9 PPG in 9.8 MPG.
Cavaliers forward Dean Wade has a six-to-eight week recovery period from his knee surgery, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic tweets. The meniscus surgery on his right knee will be a cleanup procedure and he should be a full participant in Summer League activities, Russo adds.

Pistons Notes: Bagley, Jackson, Grant, Cunningham

March 27th, 2022 at 2:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Pistons reserve power forward Marvin Bagley III, a restricted free agent this summer, is hoping to stick around Detroit on his next contract, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

The Pistons, currently the No. 14 seed in the East, are 6-9 in their games with Bagley available. Beard observes that the former No. 2 overall pick has shown his scoring touch in many of those contests, hitting double figures in 13 of his 15 games with his new club. The fourth-year big man, who holds averages of 14.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.0 APG and 0.9 SPG across 27.1 MPG for his new team, has been a good fit in Detroit’s offense thanks to his skills as a post scorer, according to Beard.

“I’m telling you, this team is going to be great. We’ve got a lot of great pieces and I’m excited to be here and a part of it, and just building something with this team,” Bagley said. “We’ve got a great team here and we’re going to be something special if we continue to lock in on that and look at the bigger picture and continue to keep getting better every single day.”

Boasting a roster full of high lottery draft selections, including Bagley and 2021 top pick Cade Cunningham, the 20-54 Pistons appear well-positioned to build for the future. Their low standing this season guarantees that they will be able to add another lottery prospect in the 2022 draft.

There’s more out of Detroit:

This past Friday, Pistons reserve point guard Frank Jackson was available for Detroit for the first time in 11 games following a lingering spine issue. Jackson played without any limits on his availability, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). “No one [including Jackson] has minute restrictions at all,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said ahead of the game, a 100-97 loss to the Wizards. “He went through practice yesterday and shootaround today. We’ll be smart with it and not have him out long stretches just to be prudent. But he should be 100%.” The fourth-year guard is averaging 10.5 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 1.0 APG in 22.2 MPG for Detroit this year. He scored two points in 14:56 minutes of action Friday.
Pistons starting power forward Jerami Grant left Detroit’s most recent contest against the Wizards with a left calf strain and did not return to action, the team announced (Twitter link). He remains sidelined today for Detroit’s afternoon contest against the Knicks, and Bagley is starting in his stead.
Pistons rookie point guard Cade Cunningham has emerged as a late-season contender for Rookie of the Year honors. James Edwards III of The Athletic examines Cunningham’s case for the award. Cavaliers power forward/center Evan Mobley, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Magic wing Franz Wagner, and Thunder shooting guard Josh Giddey are the other top candidates. Cunningham’s stellar counting stats of 17.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 5.5 APG are cited, though his inefficient scoring is listed as a detriment. To be fair, an ankle injury forced Cunningham to sit during the team’s preseason and training camp, and his early-season shooting struggles could be credited in part to his not getting that crucial prep time with the team before starting his first NBA season.

Pistons Notes: Grant, Bagley, Hayes, Brunson, Robinson, Ayton, Draft

March 24th, 2022 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jerami Grant‘s name was prominently mentioned in trade rumors prior to last month’s deadline. More recently, a report from The Athletic claims that the Trail Blazers will make a strong push for the Pistons forward in trade talks this summer.

On that subject, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and The Athletic’s James Edwards III opined on a HoopsHype podcast that the deal will happen this summer. Grant, who will be entering the final season of his three-year contract, would plug a major hole at power forward for the Blazers. A first-rounder would likely be required in Portland’s package for the Pistons to make such a move, though Scotto isn’t convinced it would necessarily be a high lottery pick this season.

Edwards speculates that where the Pistons land in the lottery will impact their decision on Grant. If they’re able to select Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray, or Chet Holmgren, they’d be more inclined to deal him.

Scotto and Edwards also discussed a number of other Pistons-related issues:

The acquisition of Marvin Bagley III from Sacramento has gone well thus far and Edwards believes both parties are interested in a multi-year deal. Bagley will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Pistons view him as a second-unit standout due to his defensive shortcomings, Edwards adds.
Detroit isn’ ready to give up on point guard Killian Hayes, their 2020 lottery pick, says Edwards. Settling in as a reserve, Hayes has shown progress as a defender and his passing skills are superior.
The Pistons will likely make a push for free agents Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson this summer, according to Scotto. He and Edwards agree that Detroit is less likely to go after top RFAs like Deandre Ayton or Miles Bridges.
Holmgren would probably top the Pistons’ draft wish list with Smith next in line, per Edwards.

Blazers Expected To Pursue Jerami Grant In Offseason

March 21st, 2022 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers are expected to seriously pursue Pistons forward Jerami Grant during the 2022 offseason, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Even after moving CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington prior to last month’s trade deadline, Portland continued to be linked to Grant in the days and hours leading up to the deadline. Reports at the time indicated that, while they may have been throwing in the towel on this season, the Blazers weren’t necessarily prepared to embark on a lengthy rebuild and hoped to add pieces capable of helping them return to the playoffs in 2022/23.

Grant, who is under contract through next season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023, would be one such piece. The 28-year-old forward is a talented, versatile defender who has expanded his offensive game during his two seasons in Detroit, averaging 21.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .427/.352/.842 shooting in 99 total games as a Piston.

Grant will also become eligible for an extension this offseason, and reports prior to the trade deadline suggested he’d want a new team to be willing to offer a new contract, which could be worth up to about $112MM over four years.

Grant will earn a $20,955,000 salary next season. Portland created a $20,864,198 trade exception in the McCollum deal which would theoretically allow them to acquire Grant without sending back any salary, since trade exceptions include $100K in extra wiggle room.

Also as a result of the McCollum trade, the Blazers will receive the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick if it falls between No. 5 and No. 14. They’d consider putting that pick into an offer for Grant, Charania reports.

Without the Pelicans’ first-round pick, Portland’s package likely wouldn’t be as strong as what other Grant suitors could offer, according to Charania, whose wording hints that the Blazers may not want to make their own first-rounder available if it’s the only one they have (there would also be complications related to the Stepien rule in that scenario, though the club could work around those issues if necessary).

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Future, Grant, Hayes

March 20th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Cade Cunningham is putting up the kind of numbers the Pistons expected when they made him the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, but it may not be enough to capture Rookie of the Year honors, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Cunningham is the top scorer among rookies at 16.9 points per game and ranks second in his class in assists and fourth in rebounds. He has also been Detroit’s main option on offense for most of the season.

However, Cunningham was part of an unusually talented draft, and some of his competitors, such as Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, have the advantage of playing for contending teams. Mobley, who is considered the favorite for the award, faced Cunningham Saturday night for the final time this season and both players posted double-doubles.

“I think this class is gonna go down when we look back 10, 15 years from now, as a top-three, top-four draft class of all time,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You look at the group of guys, obviously you guys get to see Cade every night, we get to see Evan every night, but there’s so many guys that can play at such a high level. Their skill set, their size, and their ability to impact winning, which is the most important thing that we should value. Scottie Barnes rolling in Toronto. You see all these young guys, and they play the game more maturely than their age, as they should, and then they have immense talent to go with it.”

There’s more from Detroit:

The Pistons may be in position to rise up the standings next year the same way the Cavs have done this season, suggests Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Detroit is likely to add another high lottery pick to its young core and could have more cap room than anyone heading into free agency. “We’ve got to make smart decisions as an organization,” coach Dwane Casey said. “We’ve got to make the right decisions to add the right pieces that fit this group. (General manager Troy Weaver) has done a great job of putting this core together. Now we’ve got to add the right pieces.”
The Pistons’ decision to keep Jerami Grant at the trade deadline looks like the right move, observes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Grant delivered one of his best games of the season Saturday with 40 points in the loss at Cleveland. “I definitely was feeling it, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to get the win,” he said. “It really doesn’t mean anything unless we win.”
Killian Hayes continues to excel in a reserve role and has developed some on-court chemistry with newly-acquired big man Marvin Bagley III, Beard adds in a separate story. “Killian is a great lob passer, so that’s you’re seeing some of his lobs to Marvin going to the rim,” Casey said. “Marvin gives us a different element that we didn’t have before — he’s a lob threat, and he has ability to protect the rim.”