Report: Jerami Grant could be a ‘realistic trade target’ for the Cavs this summer

The Cleveland Cavaliers were one win away from reaching the playoffs this season. However, they lost consecutive games in the play-in tournament to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks.

There are high expectations for the team next season, especially since it has young players who are expected to continue to develop.

The front office could also decide to further bolster the roster by acquiring key players. According to Cavs insider Evan Dammarell, a “realistic trade target” that could emerge for the Cavs this offseason is Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons.

”On one hand, they could always package those picks, along with the contracts of someone like Lauri Markkanen or Caris LeVert, along with a future first, to get a player that could provide more of an immediate impact,” wrote Dammarell. “Sources say that Detroit’s Jerami Grant could be a realistic trade target this summer. It just depends on whether or not the Cavaliers are willing to sweeten the pot compensation-wise. That’s where those two-second rounders could become key – they could be just enough to push a hypothetical trade for Grant over the finish line.”

Grant has played his past two seasons in Detroit, developing into a legitimate go-to player and even ending the 2020-21 campaign as a finalist for the Most Improved Player award. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Syracuse University product has averaged 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

It is unclear if the Cavs will be active in the trade market in the coming months. However, another impact player may be what the team needs to get over the hump and finally make it back to the playoffs.

Of course, dealing for a player of Grant’s caliber would likely require the team to part ways with some key pieces. As Dammarell pointed out, players like Markkanen and LeVert could find themselves included in a potential deal for Grant.

Both Markkanen and LeVert played important roles for the Cavs in the 2021-22 campaign. Markkanen averaged 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while starting all 61 regular season matches he appeared in. On the other hand, LeVert posted averages of 13.6 points and 3.9 assists per contest in 19 regular season games in a Cleveland uniform.