NBA Free Agency: the best and worst contract re-ups thus far

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 10: Jerami Grant #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers dunks the ball over Herbert Jones #5 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter of an NBA game at Smoothie King Center on November 10, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Portland Trail Blazers won the game 106 – 95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Jerami Grant – 5 years/$160 million – Portland Trailblazers

Timing, timing, timing. This deal all comes down to what happened roughly a day after this contract was agreed upon. Jerami Grant is a fine player, averaging 20.5 points and 4.5 rebounds last year for Portland, but this contract was all about the Blazers’ attempts to appease Damian Lillard, trying to keep legitimate talent around him. Lillard requested a trade the very next day.

Grant making $30 million annually seems high but it’s probably about the market value for a quality two-way wing, which is rare in this league. But that being said, it’s unclear if the Blazers would have made the offer if they knew they were about to lose Lillard. Combine that with the five years, and it’s not a great contract.

However, everything isn’t all bad in Portland, they landed arguably the second-best prospect in the draft in Scoot Henderson giving them a legitimate young core of him and Shannon Sharpe. Now Portland is tasked with finding a trade partner for Lillard and offloading bad contracts. Among these, Grant still isn’t the worst but it’s not very moveable.

It’s also uncertain how things will fit on the court. Grant showed he can be a decent scorer next to a ball-dominant player like Lillard, but also can put up numbers as a primary option. It’ll be up to coach Chauncey Billups to make sure the young guys get the necessary reps for proper development. But no one knows what Portland’s roster will look like come October so it’s still too soon to say things won’t work.