The contract is stink and long! A veteran forward with an annual salary of more than 30 million can only serve as a substitute for the Trail Blazers?

Portland Trail Blazers and Team reporter Mike Richman talked about the situation of Trail Blazers forward player Jerami Grant on the "Locked On Fantasy Basketball". Richman said: Grant seemed to have suddenly lost his CET-shot skill package last season. And this should have been his core advantage. Grant is one of the most inspiring counterattack stories in the league. He grew from an ordinary second-round pick in Philadelphia 76ers to a top scorer with a contract of 300 million. But now he has not only lost his shooting star, but he has never been able to break through in other aspects. He is neither a playmaker nor a rebounder on the court. His performance on the defensive end last season showed a significant decline. Although there were occasional flash moments, overall he was just completing tactical running in a mechanical way.

Richman continued: As far as I know, the coaching staff explicitly prohibited him from playing low singles, and this weakening of tactical status left him at a loss throughout the season. Maybe he can regroup in the new season, but it may be difficult to complete the transformation as a substitute. In theory, he can serve as a swingman in the third and fourth positions, but I think he is more likely to start the new season as a substitute, and the probability of such an arrangement may even exceed 50%.

In the NBA regular season last season, Grant played 47 games for the Trail Blazers in 82 games, averaging 32.4 minutes per game, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 1 block, and 1.4 turnovers and 2.3 fouls, shooting percentage of 37.3%, three-point shooting percentage of 36.5%, and free throw shooting percentage of 84.9%. In the summer of 2023, the Trail Blazers gave Grant a five-year contract with a total amount of 160 million yuan, of which part of which was still a player option in 2027-28. Grant's salary will be $32 million next season; his salary will be $34.21 million in the 2026-27 season; by the 2027-28 season, his salary will be $36.41 million, and it is also a player option. Although the salary is quite high and the contract is stink and long, the problem is that the Trail Blazers also have two young forward players, Deni Avidija and Toumani Camara, who performed quite well last season. From any perspective, there is no reason for the Blazers to let Grant take their starting position. It’s a big deal that the Trail Blazers did not send Grant away in time. They even had the chance to get a first-round pick by sending him away. Now, even if they post a first-round pick, they may not be able to send him away.