Toward the end of his season wrap-up media availability on Monday, Jerami Grant addressed the elephant in the room.
The Detroit Pistons‘ leading scorer, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the franchise in 2020, will be eligible for an extension this offseason. It could be worth up to $112 million over four years and would tie him to the Pistons until 2027. Grant has exceeded expectations and earned a raise.
How does he expect those talks will go this summer?
“Hopefully they go well,” Grant deadpanned with a smile.
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The 28-year-old forward averaged 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season. But Grant also missed 35 games with a torn UCL in his right thumb, COVID-19 and a left calf strain. It was an up-and-down season, but he stabilized after returning in February.
Now, he enters an uncertain offseason. The Pistons listened to offers on Grant during the trade deadline, as he emerged as a popular target for playoff teams. Nothing materialized, but it appears likely he’ll be a trade candidate once again this summer. Detroit, coming off of a 23-win season and still in the midst of a rebuild, could be better off moving Grant for assets now rather than committing to him past 2023.
Grant finally found his rhythm with Detroit’s other two leading scorers, Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey, during their 11-14 finish to the season. The front office will keep that in mind as they evaluate any trade offers.
“Not sure,” Troy Weaver said Tuesday when asked about his expectations for Grant’s trade market. “Jerami demonstrated his efficiency in the way he fit with the group. I’m curious. I’m not sure. The deadline, people had their feelers out but nothing that blew us away. Maybe something comes down the pipe. We’ll see.
“I don’t anticipate it being an avalanche. After the playoffs, some teams will feel like we can add a player or two, and maybe the phone rings a little more. I’m not sure. The landscape of the NBA changes weekly.”
The Pistons were hit hard by injuries early in the season, making it tough for players to find chemistry on the floor. Cunningham missed training camp, the preseason and five of Detroit’s first six regular season games with a left ankle sprain. Grant missed 24 straight games from early December until Feb. 1 after injuring his thumb. When Grant returned, he shared the floor with Cunningham for one night before Cunningham missed Detroit’s next five games with a hip injury.
Grant and Cunningham appeared together in just 21 of Detroit’s first 55 games this season.
“When I got back, it was the first time we all got to really play together,” Grant said. “Maybe we had a couple of games before I went out. Being on the court together, we got a feel for each other, got a couple of games under our belt and started playing well.”
Prior to Detroit’s 11-14 record at the end of the season, the Pistons were outscored by 129 points during the 490 minutes that Grant, Cunningham and Bey played together. After the Pistons began to turn their season around on Feb. 16, the Pistons outscored opposing teams by 53 points during the 335 minutes they played together.
Detroit’s top three found a groove; one of the primary reasons why the Pistons nearly went .500 after All-Star break and are optimistic they’ll be able to carry their momentum into next season. During that stretch, Grant averaged 20.1 points while shooting 46.3% overall and 41.6% from 3 — significant improvements over his season-long percentages of 42.6 and 35.8, respectively.
The Pistons will continue to take calls on Grant, but the possibility remains that keeping him and allowing him to continue to grow with their core could be the more logical outcome entering next season. Like any trade situation, it depends on what opposing teams offer.
“It was rough early on, and then he had the injury,” Weaver said. “Then he came back. Coach and I talked with him about playing a more efficient game, and he did it. To his credit, he really started to play more efficiently, choose his spots.
“Coach had the group sharing the ball, looking for each other. But I was extremely impressed and proud of the way Jerami bounced back after the injury, after All-Star break and the way he was able to find his way back with the group.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.