Lakers Trade Rumors: Jerami Grant Eyed by LA for Talen Horton-Tucker, 1st-Round Pick

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

The Los Angeles Lakers have unsuccessfully tried to trade for Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant, per longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein.

“That 2027 first is clearly the most valuable trade asset that the Lakers currently possess,” Stein said in his weekly Greenroom session. “The Lakers have tried, with no luck yet, to package that pick with Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn in an attempt to acquire Jerami Grant from Detroit.”

The Lakers entered their road game against the Orlando Magic on Friday with a 22-23 record, eighth in the Western Conference.

That’s clearly not good enough for a team that sports LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook and is two years removed from an NBA title.

The trade deadline is Feb. 10, and as Stein noted, L.A. is going to try to do something. The problem is the Lakers don’t have a ton to offer:

“They obviously would love to make some kind of upgrade. As somebody put it to me this week, the Lakers are not a stay-the-course team when things are going bad. They want to make changes. But look, we all know the reality, they’ve got limited assets. They’ve got THT, they’ve got Nunn, they’ve got a draft pick that’s five years away. That’s really that. That’s really all they can do. So, will they try to do something? I’m sure they will.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also threw cold water on the idea that the Lakers could do much at the deadline earlier this week:

“I think for the most part the Lakers’ improvement is going to have to come from within. They just don’t have tradable assets, especially with so few sellers in the market. There are going to be other teams who can offer those select few sellers better offers than the Lakers will be able to.”

Grant figures to be one of the hottest names as the deadline nears. He’s been out since Dec. 10 with a UCL ligament sprain of his right thumb, and the Pistons announced he would be reevaluated in six weeks.

He also entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols Wednesday. Two days prior, Grant was assigned to the Pistons’ G League affiliate to continue his rehab.

If he’s good to go down the stretch, Grant could be a huge addition to a playoff-contending team. The 27-year-old power forward averaged 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game prior to being sidelined.

It may be difficult for the Lakers to pry him from the Pistons, though. Ultimately, L.A. may have to wait for Davis (sprained MCL) to come back and hope the James-Westbrook-Davis trio stays healthy, jells and guides the team to better days down the stretch.