The Trail Blazers traded for Jerami Grant in the summer of 2022, handed him a lucrative extension a year later, and franchise star Damian Lillard promptly asked out not long after. Now the Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly interested in Grant as a trade target of their own, per NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required).
The Trail Blazers know how this goes. Minus the extension, the same scenario that bit them would be strongly in play for the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo: Grant comes over and is not the elixir his new team hoped. Then the Bucks get stuck with his contract whenever the embattled superstar, Giannis, in this case, finally decides to jump ship.
Grant isn't worth repeating Trail Blazers' mistake
Questionable at the time, Grant's five-year, $160 million extension aged like a bag of moldy potatoes in the wake of Lillard's departure. Knowing that Dame would ask out, there is no way the Trail Blazers would have extended Grant; the signing seemed like an effort to appease Lillard as the franchise tried to reconfigure a contender.
Since then, Grant's contract has needlessly burdened the books while the team builds a new, younger identity. Still only in year three, he is making $32 million this season with $70.6 million remaining after that, including a player option for 2027-28.
The nadir came last year, a career-worst campaign since Grant became a full-time player seven seasons ago. With a bounce-back start to 2025-26, however, he has boosted his trade value to the point that teams like the Bucks are showing interest. After all, who wouldn't want a 6-foot-7 wing averaging 20 points on nearly 40 percent shooting from three?
Truth be told, Grant would be a better fit in Milwaukee than some other names floating through the rumor mill. It's hard to imagine a worse disaster than chasing Ja Morant or Anthony Davis. In theory, he is exactly what they need as a scoring small forward. And yet, despite his rebound, Grant should be a hard sell for the Bucks if their main priority is satisfying Giannis' demands.
For one thing, Grant is at an obvious buy-high point. At the same time, he's coming off a dismal year in which he shot 37.5 percent from the field. His offense has improved dramatically from last season, but he's not quite as efficient as he was in his first two seasons in Portland.
More concerning, his defense has declined noticeably. By both defensive rating and on-off differential, he is having the worst year of his career by a sizable margin. Let's face it, Grant is 31 years old and nowhere near an elite defender.
Maybe the Bucks go after him anyway. The simplest way to structure the deal would be to send out Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis. Does that really move the needle? If the Bucks somehow found a way to keep Portis in town, does Grant suddenly make them contenders?
When, inevitably, Grant does not elevate Milwaukee to title contention, is Giannis sticking around? The reality is that such a trade would likely do little to sway him one way or the other. If Grant trends toward a middle ground between this season and last, his contract would make him an unmovable asset - just like he was in Portland.
Sure, someone like Zach LaVine, another rumored Bucks target, has an even bigger paycheck. LaVine is also far more efficient, more athletic, and simply a more talented player. The right maneuver might not be for LaVine, either, but the Bucks are better off holding onto their trade chips for a move that could actually turn the tide, not a ticking time bomb unlikely to produce any positive outcome. Grant is not the answer.