As trade chatter continues from national and LA-based media, Portland has leverage and time on their side, and may not make a trade at all.

With the NBA’s 2024 free agency a bit of a dud, the main story by July 4th is, unsurprisingly, the state of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. As with most media coverage of the Lakers, every other team is a secondary story, based on how their role may affect Los Angeles. This year, one of those secondary teams is the Portland Trail Blazers, who have a player of possible interest to LA: forward Jerami Grant.

If you haven’t seen Jerami Grant recently (quite understandable, since he has played for losing teams in Portland and Detroit for the past 5 years), let’s talk about that, because he may not be the player you remember.

In his Oklahoma City and Detroit years, he was known as a scrappy defender, justifying his role on the court by annoying opposing offenses and doing whatever was necessary to stay in the game. But during his years in NBA purgatory, he focused on building his offensive repertoire. He was less focused on defense, but he could now get the ball in the hoop. That led to a trade and an ill-fated paring with the already-offensively-elite All-Star Damian Lillard, who really needed defense and rebounding. Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and lead assistant Scott Brooks (now with the Lakers) could not make the pieces fit. The team cratered, Lillard was traded, and here we are. But, now 30 years old, Grant is still in red and black, a remnant of a short, forgotten-as-it-happened era.

Let’s recap a few recent reports, and talk about them from the probable goals of the Portland Trail Blazers organization.

At Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus listed Portland’s willingness to take back money but stay out of luxury tax. Beyond Grant, he also mentions the currently-injured Robert Williams |||.

This isn’t complicated. The answer to question 1 is “no”. The answer to question 2 is “yes”. To his credit, Pincus himself admits this immediately after.

This is the crux of the situation: The Blazers are in no rush at all. They’re fine financially, and if this is the team that arrives at training camp, they’re ready. Portland is not a desperate team. They have no problem waiting all summer, or even into next season. Pat Riley and the Miami Heat learned this last summer, when Joe Cronin and the Blazers silently waited for a better offer, which eventually arrived from the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving the Heat adrift.

Joe Cronin probably has no problem leaving the Lakers adrift too, if they don’t make an offer he likes.

The Blazers are working toward relevancy in the medium term, not the short term. The trade with Washington for Deni Avdija was clearly meant to add another member of a core that the team hopes will rise in a few years. And as Oklahoma City reminds us, you can never have too many draft picks. The Blazers are far more interested in future picks than a player who doesn’t project to be a long-term core rotation member on a good contract.

This is a bit of a hit-piece paragraph, clearly taken from the Lakers’ perspective. But it’s also not necessarily un-grounded from reality. As noted above, Grant chose to leave the rising Nuggets to join the losing Pistons, where he could develop his offensive game in relative obscurity, get paid handsomely by the Blazers, but yet Billups and Brooks (have we mentioned he’s with the Lakers now?) couldn’t figure out how to win with him and Lillard. His current role is to take lots of shots in lopsided losses.

One thing being ignored in that quote is that, while Grant won’t be your leading rebounder, his offensive game will keep defenses honest. They can’t leave Grant in a corner or roaming the court while they focus on LeBron or Anthony Davis. Grant can hit a three, and he can take the ball and create his own shot. And when needed, he can still defend. Grant possesses a number of basketball characteristics that would be very useful to James and the Lakers on the court.

Perhaps the concerns are overblown, and an older Grant is ready to use his skills and find the role to help the Lakers reclaim their glory. Perhaps not. But that’s a risk the Lakers may have to consider taking. Their options are limited. And Portland can set their trade expectations and sit silently, while the Lakers have this debate.

So, settle in everyone. The Blazers are willing to wait it out, and can even just keep Grant. The Lakers not only have to make a decision, but if they want Grant, they also have to find a best way to make the trade work. With the Lakers’ financial position, that’s complicated.

In the meantime, can I interest any teams in a great deal on a gently-used Matisse Thybulle?