Detroit Pistons small forward Jerami Grant is expected to be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market in the 2022 NBA offseason. Grant may not have shown any sign that he's no longer happy in Detroit, but rumors have already started to swirl around his future with the Pistons.
With Grant heading into the final year of his contract, it would be wise for the Pistons to explore trading him this summer, especially if they don't plan to give him a massive contract extension.
Once he becomes officially available on the trading block, several teams in dire need of additional star power are expected to express a strong interest in adding Grant to their roster. These include the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics are still playing in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Still, if they get eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, most people believe that they would become more aggressive in upgrading their roster around franchise cornerstones Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Though the Pistons aren't expected to demand the king's ransom, the Celtics would still need to come up with an intriguing offer to convince them to send Grant to Beantown this summer.
In a recent article, James Piercey of NBA Analysis Network suggested a hypothetical trade idea that would enable the Celtics to acquire Grant. In the proposed trade scenario, the Celtics would be sending a trade package that includes Grant Williams and Derrick White to the Pistons in exchange for Grant.
Grant would be a great acquisition for the Celtics. As Piercey noted, Grant would be a considerable upgrade over Williams at the Celtics' starting power forward position.
Compared to Williams, he's a better scorer, rebounder, on-court facilitator, and defender. He averaged 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 block this season while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.
It would still take time for Grant to familiarize himself with the Celtics' system, but once he meshes well with Tatum and Brown, Boston would undeniably have a better chance of capturing the Larry O'Brien Trophy next year.
Swapping Grant for a younger and cheaper forward in Williams would make a lot of sense for the Pistons, especially now that they are still in the middle of the rebuilding process. Williams may not be as good as Grant right now, but he offers a similar skill set.
"This deal sees the Pistons swap their 3-and-D power forward for a younger model," Piercey wrote. "It’s a smart move for a rebuilding team. There was a time when Jerami Grant was widely perceived as the type of utility player Grant Williams is. With proper development, Williams’ development could take the same trajectory."
At 27, White no longer fits the Pistons' rebuilding plans. They could easily flip him for a young player or a future draft asset before the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
