Feb 24, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) battles for the ball with Utah Jazz forward KJ Martin (left) and forward Cody Williams (right) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Blazers’ $160 Million Forward Gets Bleak Outlook for 2025-26

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Portland Trail Blazers tried to trade a few guys over the offseason and were unsuccessful in doing so. Deandre Ayton didn't have any trade market at all, so they bought him out instead.

It clearly would have been better for them if they had tried to shop him around during last year's trade deadline. Instead, they decided not to make any moves at the deadline.

Jerami Grant is another player they have been trying to move on from. They haven't gotten anyone to bite, and one pundit doesn't think he's going to be very good again this season.

Jerami Grant has a Bleak Outlook for This Season

Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype doesn't have a positive outlook for Grant heading into this season.

"Versatile power forward Jerami Grant is coming off a pretty down campaign, one that saw him shoot just 37 percent from the floor and average his lowest points per game total since 2019-20, when he was a role player for the Denver Nuggets. Not only was Grant pretty inefficient in 2024-25, but he also hasn’t played in more than 63 regular-season games since that same campaign, another worrying trend now that he’s reached the other side of 30."

Based on his stats, it looks like Grant is on a major decline in his career. He can't seem to stay healthy, and even when he's on the court, he's not very good. That's a bad combination for a team trying to make the playoffs.

The Trail Blazers are Stuck with Jerami Grant Unless They Buy Him Out

With the Trail Blazers buying out Ayton, they don't have a lot of cash or cap space on the books for another buyout. That means they could be stuck with Grant for a while.

Urbina tries to keep some optimism for Blazers fans when it comes to Grant's performance.

"On the other hand, Grant is shooting 39 percent from three over the past three seasons combined, has a good face-up game, can handle the rock a bit, and can defend multiple positions, albeit none at an elite level. Grant is a solid player, but he may be best suited coming off the bench if he were to join a contender, to make a bigger impact on winning."

This past season, in 47 games played, Grant averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.