Earlier today, the Grizzlies acquired Jerami Grant and Kris Murray in exchange for Ja Morant. There is a decent chance that Kris Murray won't be on the Grizzlies' opening night roster; however, the opposite can be said about Jerami Grant. Plus, the Grizzlies should simply hold onto Jerami Grant and avoid flipping him again.
Having signed a five-year $160 million contract back in 2023, Grant has two years left on his deal and is still owed about $70 million. In theory, that is a tradable contract for the Grizzlies, but given the team's need for proven vets around a young core, it could end up being much more beneficial to hold onto Jerami Grant instead.
For now, the Grizzlies will be building around a young core featuring Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and most importantly, Cam Boozer, who was just selected third overall. While many factors were at play, arguably one of the biggest failures of the Next Gen Era was not prioritizing proven veterans after a breakthrough 2021/22 season.
With the Isaiah Stewart trade and now acquiring Jerami Grant in the Ja Morant deal, the team just acquired two veterans who could help elevate the new core in Memphis.
Jerami Grant is still a capable scoring option
The Trail Blazers went 42-40 and ended up returning to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020/21 season. One of the main driving forces to lead Portland back to the playoffs was Jerami Grant. Grant averaged 18.6 points this season, which was the third best on the team behind Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe.
Grant is still a very capable three-point shooter and made 38.9% of his attempts behind the arc. Even though Grant had an inconsistent first round against the two-seed Spurs, he was still a pivotal vet that helped the Blazers get back to the playoffs. At 32 years old, Grant brings plenty of experience and a scoring punch that should help the Grizzlies' young group of forwards.
The Grizzlies acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year in the Desmond Bane trade, but he has shown multiple seasons of offensive decline and could eventually be traded. While his leadership was undoubtedly important, the Grizzlies also need their vets to still be able to make plays. Jerami Grant should be able to give the Grizzlies a strong boost during the remainder of his deal.
Understandably, it will still take plenty of time for Grizzlies fans to process the trade of a fan favorite like Ja Morant. While Jerami Grant and Kris Murray are not as strong of a return as what the Grizzlies got for Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., it is still a win for the Grizzlies that they did not have to attach picks.
However, the acquisition of Jerami Grant could be an underrated boost to a rebuilding Grizzlies team that needs proven veteran production. While the Grizzlies have to clear roster space, they should look to avoid including Jerami Grant in trade talks for now.
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