Lakers trade for Jerami Grant
If the Los Angeles Lakers aren't willing to use their limited assets on a center who may or may not make the two-way difference that the team is looking for, there is another option that could be on the table for the team this offseason - and that's to target a veteran two-way fringe-star player like Jerami Grant. At this point in his career, Grant may be in desperate need of a fresh start. On the rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers, there's not a huge role for Grant to play anymore. That's why this could finally be considered the offseason where the Blazers move on from him.
In theory, Grant could help take some of the offensive pressure off the shoulders of Luka Doncic and LeBron James, and would certainly add another layer of depth to help both players from the grueling regular season. At 31 years old, Grant still has plenty of basketball ahead of him, and a fresh start at this point in his career may be exactly what he needs to get his groove back after a somewhat disappointing year.
What the trade would look like: As the Blazers look to move forward and build around their young core, Grant could very much find himself on the outside looking in. That could be the exact type of player the Lakers could be looking for this summer. A deal for Grant could look something like Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and maybe a protected first-round pick. I'm not sure if the Lakers would be willing to give up on Knecht, but it could make the probability of landing Grant much higher.
Knowing how Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has operated recently, he's not going to be an easy man to negotiate with. The Lakers are going to have to give up quite a bit to even keep the conversation going. I believe that is a solid deal that Portland would have to consider.