The Philadelphia 76ers have the luxury of multiple options at their behest. With the cap room they have in their arsenal, they can turn to backup plans. One of those backup plans could be ex-Sixer Jerami Grant.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe mentioned that Grant has come up among the other options the Sixers may look into.
“I’m sure they’ve got plans D, E, and F. People have whispered Brandon Ingram, people have whispered Jerami Grant. Neither of those are as exciting to me as Paul George. I don’t know what the hell is gonna happen here, but we’re gonna get some clarity there on Saturday,” Lowe said on the June 27 episode of “The Lowe Post.”
Lowe did not add much further details on a potential Grant trade. He will enter the second year of a five-year, $160 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. Grant is not an All-Star but has averaged more than 20 points in three of the last four seasons. On top of that, he provides excellent wing defense.
The Sixers already have plenty of scoring with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Grant gives them another scorer, but he also fills plenty of holes. He’s paid a lot of money, but he could help the Sixers reach a new level of playoff success.
Trail Blazers Have ‘High Bar’ for Jerami Grant Trade
If Grant becomes available, it seems that acquiring him will come at a high price. The Action Network’s Matt Moore revealed that the Trail Blazers have a high ask in exchange for Grant.
“One player mentioned as a target for the Mavericks is Blazers forward Jerami Grant, but Portland continues to maintain a high bar for the return,” Moore wrote in a June 27 story.
In that same article, Moore revealed where the Sixers stand with Paul George, Klay Thompson, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Thompson and Caldwell-Pope are serious options. George was a good idea, but George wishes to stay on the West Coast, and Philly’s interest ‘waned.’”
A scenario could occur in which the Sixers end up with Grant and one of the top free agents in 2024. If they do, that could make for a very successful offseason for Philadelphia after a pretty disastrous one in 2023.
Jerami Grant Started NBA Career With Sixers
There may be some sentimental value in the Sixers re-acquiring Grant. They drafted him in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. He played for the team from 2014 to 2-016 before they traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Grant had his breakout season in his last season with the Thunder during the 2018-19 season. In 80 games, Grant averaged 13.6 points while shooting nearly 50% from the field and 40% from three. He has only continued to ascend since then.
Again, he’s not an All-Star, and he probably never will be. However, Grant has proven his worth when he helped the Denver Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals in 2020. Putting him in a similar role with the Sixers could make them that much tougher to beat in a playoff series.
Grant doesn’t make much sense with the Trail Blazers long-term. Since they are in a rebuild, now would be a good time for the Sixers to make a bid for him.
