PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers' top free agent, starting power forward Jerami Grant, will return to Portland, agreeing to a new five-year contract worth $160 million, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday.
Re-signing Grant, 29, was one of the Blazers' top priorities this offseason as the front office attempts to put win-now talent around superstar guard Damian Lillard. Grant was arguably the Blazers’ second-best player last season, averaging 20.5 points while shooting a career-high 40.1% on nearly six 3-point attempts per game.
The 6-foot-8 Grant provides the Blazers a combination of length, athleticism and defense that few other players on the team's roster possess. He was miscast as a point-of-attack defender against guards and wings last season in Portland, but if the Blazers can acquire a defensive forward this offseason who can handle point-of-attack defensive duties, Grant is a good team defender who can ably guard bigger forwards.
Grant isn’t a perfect player. He’s a poor rebounder, especially for a power forward, averaging 4.5 rebounds per game last season (slightly above his career average). His 6.5% rebound percentage ranked 11th on the team last season among players who played at least 20 games. Portland needs to pair him with strong rebounders at small forward and center since the team currently remains undersized at the guard positions.
The Blazers acquired Grant last offseason, trading a 2025 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Detroit Pistons for Grant. He began his first season in Portland on a tear, averaging 22.5 points and shooting 45.2% from 3 through the team’s first 37 games. But he cooled down after that, averaging 17.9 points and shooting 32.9% from 3 over his next 28 games.
The new contract carries through the 2027-28 season, when Grant will be 33 years old.
