Wizards/Portland: Portland dumps Grant for an expiring while Wiz move up in the draft and get future draft capital

[mhd]

Simple deal:

Wiz trade Middleton (assuming he opts in) (as an expiring)+18 (via Memphis) for Grant+10+2029 swap rights (via Portland (Its complicated)) (Currently Portland gets the most favorable and least favorable of its 2029 1st, Bucks 2029 1st, and Boston's 2029 1st and Washington gets the 2nd most favorable amongst Portland's 2029 1st, Bucks 2029 1st, and Boston's 2029 1st. After this trade, Washington gets the most favorable amongst Portland's 2029 1st, Bucks 2029 1st, and Boston's 2029 1st while Portland gets the 2nd and 3rd best picks amongst its 2029 first, Bucks 2029 1st, and Boston's 2029 1st).

Why for the Blazers?
1). Dump Grant and save roughly 70 million in future salary as Middleton expires two years sooner.
2). Middleton actually played well when he was traded to DC. He's just not a full-time player who can play 30+ minutes a night. He'd actually fill a role as a shooting wing off the bench.

Why for the Wiz?
1). Simply put, they are tanking for one more year as they owe a 2026 1st that is top 8 protected. They use their future cap space as a bet on the Bucks, Portland, or Boston being bad in 2029 while also moving up 8 spots in this upcoming draft.

[JRoy]

Pass for POR.

POR has no business making this kind of a move while in need of securing a star player. The draft is the best avenue to do so.

[Myth]

Absolutely not. I don’t love the 2025 pick swap, but the 2029 best of should not be traded for anything short of a star.

[nate33]

These types of deals are always difficult to value from a fan perspective. Obviously, us fans don't really care at all about owners saving money so we are inclined to discount the value of money savings in a deal such as this.

I certainly wouldn't expect Portland fans to like this deal. Whether or not Portland's ownership would like this deal is another question entirely. $70M is a lot of money.

[JRoy]

Fair enough.

Would WAS go for the same kind of deal in reverse?

[mhd]

Fair enough.

Would WAS go for the same kind of deal in reverse?

They have in the past Leonsis was allowing previous management to trade multiple first rounders to avoid the luxury tax. He also allowed previous management to routinely sell 2nd rounders for straight cash. He's a total cheapskate who has only paid the luxury tax once in his entire tenure as an owner. He's sucking been sucking at the teat of the tax-paying teams for years. If he could, he'd cheapen out on the salaries during this tanking era. However, with the 90% rule, the Wiz have to pay someone.

[jbk1234]

These types of deals are always difficult to value from a fan perspective. Obviously, us fans don't really care at all about owners saving money so we are inclined to discount the value of money savings in a deal such as this.

I certainly wouldn't expect Portland fans to like this deal. Whether or not Portland's ownership would like this deal is another question entirely. $70M is a lot of money.

Portland has Ayton, Williams, Simons, and maybe Thybulle expiring after next season. That's like $80M+ in expiring deals on the books already.

[Myth]

Fair enough.

Would WAS go for the same kind of deal in reverse?

They have in the past Leonsis was allowing previous management to trade multiple first rounders to avoid the luxury tax. He also allowed previous management to routinely sell 2nd rounders for straight cash. He's a total cheapskate who has only paid the luxury tax once in his entire tenure as an owner. He's sucking been sucking at the teat of the tax-paying teams for years. If he could, he'd cheapen out on the salaries during this tanking era. However, with the 90% rule, the Wiz have to pay someone.

Luckily Portland is below the luxury tax with a bunch of expiring salary, so they shouldn’t have to give up potentially 2 lottery picks to unload Grant. This is dead in the water.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

If we use picks to dump Grant we could use that space to take on a bad contract and get picks. Wait...

[pipfan]

I think this is a great deal, but only with the 2025 pick swap.
Grant can help Wash for now
Middleton is a great bench wing for Port

Leave out the 2029 pick stuff, and let Wash get a better pick now only. Grant can still be a positive (although overpaid) player

[R-DAWG]

Call me crazy, but I think Grant still has positive value on his contract. He just turned 31, is still a very versatile defender and above average 3 point shooter on good volume.

These kinds of 6-8 ish guys who can guard multiple positions and are above average 3 point shooters always have value around the league. Maybe not unprotected draft pick value - but a first round out decent upside and an expiring feels right - or a little more draft capital and a worse contract.

[pipfan]

I just looked and this is REALLY interesting for Port (I mentioned about, take out the 2029 pick, maybe add Murray for Wash if they want him?)
They do this deal, then pick BPA at #18 and hold tight on the team. Tell their vets that no extensions or trades are coming-the 2025-26 season is a wait-and-see approach
Henderson/Simons
Sharpe/Simons
Camara/Middleton
Deni/Camara
Ayton/Clingan
Deep bench of #18 and RWilliams, plus Thybulle and Reath. At #18 maybe take Saraf (nice looking 3rd guard type)
They'd go into the summer of 2026 with only Henderson, Deni, Camara, Clingan and the #18 under contract (that's only about $40 million). Sharpe's cap hold would probably be around $18 million. They'd have about $100 million in potential cap space-that could be a HUGE draw, with a VERY solid core of young guys in place.

Washington would also have 2026 cap space, even with Grant. They could pick Newell at #10 and let's say they add Harper with their pick at #2

Carrington/Harper/Bilal/Newell/Sarr is a VERY interesting core, with vets like Poole, Grant to help stabilize, plus George, Champagne, AJ Johnson and Kispert off the bench. They'd need to add size, but that's A LOT of young talent that seems to fit well together. If Harper is the real deal, that's a contender in a few years

[Pattycakes]

Portland has zero prsssure to offload grants toxic contract tbh. There won’t be any value added on our end. He can rot/get waived/ someone can take a chance and that contract

[nate33]

Call me crazy, but I think Grant still has positive value on his contract. He just turned 31, is still a very versatile defender and above average 3 point shooter on good volume.

These kinds of 6-8 ish guys who can guard multiple positions and are above average 3 point shooters always have value around the league. Maybe not unprotected draft pick value - but a first round out decent upside and an expiring feels right - or a little more draft capital and a worse contract.

Guys like that have mildly positive value if they're paid $10-20M a year (guys like Josh Hart, Finney-Smith, PJ Washington). They have negative value at $34M a year. Also, Grant has lost a step defensively and is probably more of an "average" defender rather than above average.

[PDXKnight]

Portland has zero prsssure to offload grants toxic contract tbh. There won’t be any value added on our end. He can rot/get waived/ someone can take a chance and that contract

This is where I am. Number 10 alone would be a pretty hefty price but that 2029 first especially if it's the best of the 3 is a huge ask as it has a pretty good chance to be a high lotto pick.

[PDXKnight]

Call me crazy, but I think Grant still has positive value on his contract. He just turned 31, is still a very versatile defender and above average 3 point shooter on good volume.

These kinds of 6-8 ish guys who can guard multiple positions and are above average 3 point shooters always have value around the league. Maybe not unprotected draft pick value - but a first round out decent upside and an expiring feels right - or a little more draft capital and a worse contract.

I hope you're right. He is useful to teams around the league but his contract is an overpay so with that in mind I'm not sure what value other teams would offer. As a Portland fan I'd take it and run if the best offer available is salary relief alone. Simply moving off that money especially with how redundant Grant is on this Blazers roster would be a win in my eyes. He could be a useful vet on the right team but toumani and deni are both more deserving of playing time