The Miami Heat remain in an enviable position in the NBA, boasting young star big man Bam Adebayo, emerging scorer Tyler Herro, and star-caliber two-way wing Jimmy Butler. This trio forms a solid foundation for NBA success.
However, the Heat are in need of change. They have not kept pace with the talent surge in the Eastern Conference, falling behind the Boston Celtics, the Knicks, and the Sixers, and now being on par with teams like the Cavaliers, Magic, Bucks, and Pacers.
At best, the Heat are the No. 4 seed in the East. More likely, they’re a play-in team.
Rumors persist that the Heat want to maintain flexibility to acquire another star-caliber player. They’ve been linked to Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen, who might not be traded, and DeMar DeRozan, who signed with Sacramento instead.
One player who could rescue a lackluster Miami Heat offseason is forward Jerami Grant. However, a deal would require the Heat and the Blazers to reconcile after last year’s bitter Damian Lillard trade talks and focus on the present.
Like it or not, the Blazers should be eager to move off of Grant, and the Heat should be eager to acquire him. As one Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports, “I think it would come down to desperation vs. desperation in a trade for him.”
Jerami Grant Contract a Tough One to Trade
The difficulty in getting Grant to Miami goes beyond the lingering tensions between the two franchises.
Before the Lillard saga unfolded, Portland signed Grant to a significant contract worth $160 million over five years. But Lillard’s departure pushed the Blazers into a rebuild, and Grant no longer fits with the franchise.
The Heat might see trading for Grant as helping Portland by taking a bad contract off their hands. The Blazers, however, would view it as dealing a high-scoring asset and would want appropriate compensation.
Grant averaged 21.0 points on 45.1% shooting last year, with a remarkably low rebound total (3.5 per game) for a power forward. He struggled with injuries, playing just 54 games for the Blazers.
However, he has turned into a proficient 3-point shooter, hitting 40.1% from beyond the arc on 5.7 attempts in 2022-23 and 40.2% on 5.1 attempts last year. This makes him an ideal fit at the 4 spot next to Adebayo.
A credible offer from the Heat could be the contract of Terry Rozier (with two years and $51 million remaining), plus the Heat’s first-round pick from the 2024 draft, Kel’el Ware. This would reduce the Blazers’ financial commitment and provide a young asset.
A swap of Tyler Herro for Grant makes sense, too, except that Portland made it clear last year that they do not value Herro highly as a trade asset.
Heat Would Again Have to Deal With ‘Stubborn’ Blazers
Here’s how the executive put it:
“Jerami Grant can play; he is a shooter, a good, active defender when engaged, and does a lot of things that help your team. But he is a third option. He has put up big numbers the last few years, but on terrible teams. No one is going to make a big trade for a guy who gives you 20 points on a bad team and 13 on a good one.
“Not with his contract. He is going to make $30 million next year, $32 million the year after that. Then he has two more years. You can’t pay your third option $34, 35 million. If Portland wants the Lakers, the Heat, or any of these teams to take him, they’ve got to recognize that. The Heat, obviously, that’s their nemesis.”
The problem is that the Blazers want something in the range of two first-rounders for Grant. They’re unlikely to get that, but if last year taught us anything about Portland’s Joe Cronin, it’s that he will stick to his guns, even at his own expense.
“They’re stubborn,” the exec said of the Blazers. “Part of the job is to be stubborn. But part of the job is also seeing your mistakes and getting out of them. Grant was a mistake. Trading him now just to get out of that salary is the right thing to do. Take whatever picks or young guys you can get.”
The Heat face a challenging road ahead as they look to improve their roster and remain competitive in the Eastern Conference.
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