The Portland Trail Blazers have been in the news a lot lately, with all the speculation surrounding the immediate future of superstar guard Damian Lillard.
Although Lillard’s future still seems uncertain, with the team recently bringing in rookie Scoot Henderson as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the team made another move on Friday in NBA free agency that may further indicate the team’s intentions moving forward.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Blazers have agreed to a massive five-year deal with forward Jerami Grant.
The Portland Trailblazers are in agreement with free agent forward Jerami Grant on a 5-year, $160 million contract, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports tells ESPN.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 30, 2023
The Blazers committing to Grant at such a high number over the next half-decade might be a sign that the team is ready to move on from Lillard, as this doesn’t improve the team immediately.
Obviously, this is a great deal for Grant, which he almost certainly wasn’t getting elsewhere, but it will be interesting to see how it impacts the team’s moves in the future.
Portland made this move as free agency got underway, which probably didn’t make Lillard all that happy, but there’s a long way to go, and the Blazers can continue to address their needs in free agency or through trades.
As for Grant, the veteran forward averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 47.5% and 40.1% from beyond the arc.
Although these are solid numbers, outside of the low rebounds per game for a forward, he doesn’t move the needle for Portland, and more things need to happen for the Blazers for the team to become a legitimate title contender in the Western Conference.
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