Lakers’ $160 Million Trade Target Gets New Asking Price: Report

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Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, and head coach JJ Redick answer questions during a press conference.

The asking price for Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, one of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ reported trade targets, has been lowered, according to Forbes’ Evan Sidery.

“Portland would be willing to part with Grant for one first-round pick and a promising prospect instead of two future first-round selections,” Sidery wrote in a post on X.

Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report reported in July that the Blazers were asking for the Lakers’ 2029 and 2031 first-round draft picks.

But if the Trail Blazers lower their asking price to a package built around one of the Lakers first-round picks and Rui Hachimura, then a deal could be made, according to Highkin.

Former LA Daily reporter Anthony Irwin, now with Clutchpoins, reported that the Lakers were unwilling to meet Portland’s demand for Grant because of two factors.

“League sources cite his contract and potential reluctance to take on a lesser role on a winning team as concerns for why the Lakers and other teams haven’t wanted to meet that price,” Irwin wrote at the time.

The 30-year-old Grant is entering the second season of a five-year deal worth $160 million with a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

Grant is averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the Trail Blazers’ first 24 games, his lowest production since he left Denver in 2020. Despite getting lost in the shuffle amid Portland’s rebuilding this season, the 6-foot-7 forward is still shooting a solid 38.4% on 6.6 3-point attempts.

Lakers’ Pressing Needs

As the Lakers stumbled to 10th place in the West with a 14-12 record following a strong 10-4 start, perimeter defense, 3-point shooting and rebounding have continued to plague this roster dating back to last season.

The Lakers are ranked 24th in defensive rating, 25th in 3-pointers made and 27th in rebounding after 26 games.

They are looking to address these issues heading into the February 6 trade deadline.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers have been eyeing “a tough, physical, defensive-minded center, a big 3-and-D wing who complements [Anthony] Davis and [LeBron] James as a starter/closer and a big, quick, athletic guard with point-of-attack defensive capabilities.”

Grant fits the big 3-and-D wing role.

Buha linked Grant among the 3-and-D wings available in the trade market for the Lakers, alongside Washington Wizards‘ Kyle Kuzma, who previously played with the team, and Brooklyn Nets‘ pair of Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.

Jerami Grant Is an Expensive Third Option

A Western Conference rival executive has warned the Lakers in the offseason amid the news of their pursuit of Grant.

“Jerami Grant can play, he is a shooter, he is a good, active defender when he is engaged, he is going to do a lot of things that help your team,” the league executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney in July. “But he is a third option. He has had some big numbers in the last few years, but he has done it 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 (points) on a good one.

“Not with his contract. He is going to make $30 (million) next year and $32 (million) the year after that. Then he has two more years. You can’t pay your third option $34, 35 million.”

The Lakers have been reluctant to move their draft picks since the last trade deadline.

“We’re going to always be aggressive to trying to make roster upgrades and we’ll be relentless to continue to look at what we can do,” Pelinka told reporters in July. “If the right deal comes and we have to put in draft picks, we will.”

But the Lakers’ 4-8 record over their last 12 games saw their title odds dive to 10th, per Bovada, which also offers online casino bonus like Joe Fortune Club, at +2800.

With the Lakers hobbling to the play-in picture after a quarter of the season, it’s hard to see Pelinka softening his stance.