The offseason continues to drone on for the Lakers, who to date are among three teams that have added any new free agents this summer. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that GM Rob Pelinka has stopped working the phones. A new report claims that LA initially agreed to a deal for a prominent starter in their own conference—a name that Laker fans are very familiar with.
Report: Lakers Nearly Agreed to Trade for Veteran Forward
From Trail Blazer to a Laker?
According to Danny Marang, who co-hosts the Trail Blazers podcast “Jacked Ramsays,” the Blazers and Lakers had a deal in place for longtime LA trade target Jerami Grant.
“As I understand it, Klutch was hoping to help facilitate a deal there and they got the Lakers to say, yeah they’d be willing to trade two ones for Jerami and then when it came time to do it, Pelinka balked.”
Nothing is known beyond the inclusion of LA’s two first-round picks, which remain a common sticking point in their trade negotiations. This latest reporting lines up with previous rumors that Portland wanted the Lakers’ future firsts in 2029 and 2031—assets that Pelinka has refused to give up to this point. The Lakers’ leading man already commented on his team’s sluggish start to the summer, but emphasized how relentless the pursuit of new talent will be. Fast forward several weeks later, and—no matter how hard Pelinka has tried—the roster hasn’t changed one bit.
The development also proves that LA’s pursuit of Grant has not stopped just yet. The 30-year-old combo forward averaged 21 points per game on .451/.402/.817 splits this past season with Portland. His massive contract is a key concern, but many have pointed to his size and floor-spacing ability as reasons for why he should join LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the 2024-25 Lakers.
Did Pelinka Make the Right Call?
Fans may be disappointed to find out the Lakers backed out of a deal at the finish line. However, in this instance, Pelinka may have been right to do so.
Going back to Grant’s contract, he has four years and $132 million remaining on his deal. That includes a $36 million Player Option for the 2027-28 season, when he’ll be 34. Combine those numbers with the max contracts of James and Davis, and you get a team that gets ever-so-close to—if not above—the CBA’s second apron, a point of contention among all teams this season. Despite Grant’s production and the value he could add to the Lakers, it would not make sense for the team to commit to such a financial risk—given all they’ve done to remain below that second apron in the first place.
Additionally, the prospect of giving up two key picks for Grant is troubling. Many would understand surrendering those picks for a legitimate third star. But giving them up for an admittedly overpaid starting wing (who is, again, 30 years old)? Not the best idea. Throwing them in with some prominent supporting Lakers—one of which could be D’Angelo Russell or Rui Hachimura—makes it even worse.
While Grant could significantly help the team on both ends of the floor, Portland’s asking price is still simply too high to match, and it’s not worth the trouble to get him. The Lakers have learned their lesson from sacrificing depth in the past, and the last few summers have proven that. Pelinka did the right thing in backing out of a potential deal with Portland, recognizing the cons outweigh the pros. As for where the team goes from here, it looks like they’ll play the waiting game for a little while longer.
