On July 28, news emerged that the Los Angeles Lakers are still pursuing Jerami Grant.
Earlier, renowned sports journalist Zach Lowe was asked during a show, “Should we be preparing a Lakers jersey for Jerami Grant at this stage?”
Lowe responded, “Yes, I think we can prepare one.”
This seems to suggest that Grant’s trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Lakers is only a matter of time.
Rumors about a potential trade between the Lakers and Grant have been circulating for some time. However, an executive from a Western Conference team hinted earlier in the offseason that the Lakers were not willing to give up on trading for Grant.
“Grant is a shooter and a good, active defender who can do many things to help a team,” the executive said during an anonymous interview. “It’s just that his numbers over the past few years have been with bad teams. So no one will make a big trade for him.”
Recent comments by Portland Trail Blazers reporter Danny Marang also hint at a deal in the works.
Marang stated, “As far as I know, Grant’s agent hopes to help the Lakers get a deal done. They want the Lakers to be willing to trade two players for Grant, and when it came down to it, Pelinka hesitated.”
Last season, Grant was one of only 12 players in the NBA to average over 20 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from the field. If he ends up with the Lakers, Grant’s scoring ability would make him an excellent complement to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.