New Orleans Pelicans: Trading for Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant is not an All-Star, but he is a guy who scores 20 per game, is a long and versatile defender and shoots 35 percent from 3-point range on 5.4 attempts per game.
He would give the Pelicans another quality and versatile defender, as well as some insurance against future injuries to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, as he could adequately back up either of them.
He’s on an expiring contact, so the Pelicans would’t be taking on any long-term commitments, and it would allow them to get out from the Graham and Temple contracts, which would save them future money since both of their contracts run an extra year (two in Graham’s case, though the final year of both deals is not fully guaranteed).
If the Pelicans wanted to extend Grant, they could probably work out a favorable deal and work it into their payroll, especially if they decided to move Jonas Valanciunas. He’s likely to cost less on an extension than Graham, Temple and the 1st-round pick combined and would undoubtedly be more valuable.
The real argument for trading for a guy like Grant is that he would give the Pelicans one of the deepest and most versatile rosters in the NBA, as they could bring him off the bench or even start him in lineups without a center, depending on the opponent.
This was an issue against the Suns, as Valanciunas was exposed at times defensively. The Pels could play small ball with anyone using a lineup like this:
- CJ McCollum
- Brandon Ingram
- Herb Jones
- Jerami Grant
- Zion Williamson
With Larry Nance Jr. also able to guard up or down, the Pelicans would have a long and versatile team that could matchup against just about anyone.
Zion is not likely to play a full season as he tries to come back from injury, so Grant would give them a guy they could plug into a number of spots, a do-it-all player who fits with what the Pelicans are building.
The entire team (except Jose Alvarado and CJ McCollum) would be long, athletic and switchable, giving Willie Green a lot of weapons and options.
It sounds good, but there are some big problems with a trade like this.