Lakers insider Jovan Buha criticizes $160M forward after disappointing audition for LA ahead of trade deadline
The LA Lakers dominated the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night and got a chance to look at their long-time trade target and Blazers forward Jerami Grant. However, Grant, whose contract is worth $160 million, had a lackluster showing in the Crypto Arena.
Grant only scored three points on a lowly 1-of-12 shooting from the field, including 1-of-7 shooting from the three-point line. While he played 32 minutes in the game, he only put up four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha then criticized the Portland forward on YouTube, pointing out that his performance in the game could affect his trade value ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
“I would say, this is arguably the worst audition that Jerami Grant or any potential Laker target could have,” Buha, who writes for The Athletic, said on Monday. (24:33)
“After tonight, maybe just a little bit of recency bias, Rui (Hachimura) is much better than Jerami Grant … This was a horrible audition for him, especially if he is trying to be a Laker or if he is trying to be picked up by a contender somewhere else," he said. (26:53) "This is a very disengaged performance from Jerami Grant. I’m now leaning against trading for him.”
Grant is averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this season for the Trail Blazers. However, he has taken a step back in offensive production this year, becoming the team’s third-leading scorer and fifth in usage rate.
Grant has long been on the Lakers’ radar as the Trail Blazers are rebuilding with a mixture of young stars and savvy veterans.
Trail Blazers front office still holds Jerami Grant as an expensive asset
Despite numerous trade rumors in the past year, the Trail Blazers still hold Jerami Grant at a steep price in the trade market.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin considers Grant an expensive asset. He seeks two first-round picks for the versatile forward in the trade market.
However, Grant has been playing his worst offensive season since 2020. He is shooting 38.0% from the field and 35.5% from the 3-point line. He also has not played over 70 games in a season since his time with the Denver Nuggets in the 2019-2020 season.
Grant has experience as a rotation player on a contending team, having played with the Oklahoma City Thunder for three years, before spending one season with the Nuggets.
Aside from the Lakers, other contending teams were also rumored to be interested in Grant’s services such as the Nuggets, the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat.