The Los Angeles Lakers have had an extremely disappointing summer thus far.
Not only has the front office whiffed on every big name free agent it tried to add, but even the team’s existing role players like Taurean Prince opted to leave.
One player L.A. has been linked to for weeks has been Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers are one of two teams vying for his services.
Many expected that Los Angeles would pull the trigger on a deal sooner rather than later.
But to date – nothing has happened.
This week, an anonymous NBA executive explained the issue.
“If they get Grant, I am not sure they are that much better as a team,” he told Heavy.com.
“It’s a bad contract. He’s a good shooter but he is not a very good defender. I am not sure he is that much better than Rui, so if you’re giving up Rui and a draft pick? I can’t see making that move. It’s making a trade just for the sake of making a trade, and that’s always unwise.”
Last season Grant averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per outing. Those are great numbers, but it remains to be seen how he would are on a legit title contender.
Will the Lakers ultimately decide to push through and acquire Grant before the start of next season? Time will tell.
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
