Did the Portland Trail Blazers make the most underrated off-season move?

On November 4, Jerami Grant of the Portland Trailblazers caught the ball off a well-executed inbounds play and sank a midrange baseline jump shot at the buzzer to defeat the Phoenix Suns.

Although a game-winning jump shot is the pinnacle of excitement in the game of basketball, Grant has been giving fans in Rip City something to cheer about all season long. The 6’8″ forward has been known as a versatile defender ever since his rookie season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, in recent years, Grant’s offensive game has improved by leaps and bounds; he is now a viable third option for the Blazers, right behind Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons. This past off-season, there were a lot of moves around the NBA that generated headlines. Superstar shooting guard Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As a result, the Utah Jazz received Colin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen, two players with very high ceilings who had not reached their full potential prior to the trade. The Jazz also traded All-Star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Other major moves included Jalen Brunson signing with the New York Knicks and Dejounte Murray being acquired by the Atlanta Hawks.

Jerami Grant joined the Portland Trail Blazers this past off-season with little to no fanfare. However, he is already making his presence felt in a big way.

Although all of these moves deserved the attention they received, Jerami Grant’s acquisition by Portland through a trade with the Detroit Pistons garnered little to no fanfare. In Grant’s two seasons in Detroit, he averaged 22.3 and 19.2 points per game, respectively. It would seem that a proven commodity changing teams and switching conferences would make news.

Even if the talk shows weren’t discussing it in depth, basketball aficionados knew Grant could have an immediate impact in Portland. So far this season, he has not disappointed. Let’s take a closer look at why the Blazers’ trade for Jerami Grant is the most underrated off-season acquisition in the NBA.