Jerami Grant, who recently signed a five-year, $160 million extension with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2023 offseason, will land with the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster three-for-one mock trade proposal. Al Horford, Robert Williams III, and Payton Pritchard will be sent to the Rose City in The NBA Analysis Network proposal. James Piercey explained how this deal could be a “no-brainer” for the Celtics.
“Contrary (to R. Williams), Grant is an iron man,” Piercey said before saying, “He’s also a better offensive player. Grant is a reliable spacer on the floor who can make his own shot. He also has defensive value, if less than Williams III. The Celtics may decide he’s worth the trade-off.
“Otherwise, it’s a no-brainer for Boston. Pritchard is due for an extension next summer, and Boston is unlikely to pay him. Horford is getting old – in last year’s playoffs, it started to show up. Replacing him with Grant should make them a better team — even if it makes their summer even busier.
The Boston Celtics would be the undisputed losers in a Jerami Grant trade
Portland didn’t detract too much from value by landing the oft-injured Williams, the aging Horford, and the soon-to-be-extended Pritchard. Both big men hold more value to the Boston Celtics than any other franchise, while Pritchard plays a position of great need (point guard) for a Cs squad that recently offloaded their starter, Marcus Smart, and almost replaced the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Malcolm Brogdon.
Grant’s salary may be old considering the salary cap increase, but a career sub-36% 3-point shooter shouldn’t tie up any remaining salary cap flexibility with big contracts owned by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis.
Simply put, adding Grant to that trio doesn’t make this team an instant contender. Giving up the supporting cast that helped the C’s get to where they are is bad business.
And Brad Stevens is not part of the bad business.