Jerami Grant Declines Blazers Extension Offer - For Now

Jan 31, 2023 - 4:00 PM

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Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant is arguably the team’s biggest free agent going into this upcoming offseason.

However, any attempts to re-sign him before free agency this summer were laid to rest after it was announced that Grant wouldn’t accept an extension until the offseason. The Athletic’s Jason Quick was the first to report the news.

Grant: “I’m kind of focused on the season at hand right now. Probably will wait until after the season and talk to (GM) Joe (Cronin). Everything is good. I like it here. Really enjoying it. So, yeah … we will discuss it when it’s time.”

The Blazers offered Grant a four-year, $112 million extension, the maximum contract he can be offered at this point in time. However, if he enters unrestricted free agency this summer, that number jumps, according to Quick.

If Grant doesn’t accept the offer, he will become a free agent on July 1, when he will be eligible to offered as much as 5-years and $233 million by Portland. Other teams could offer him as much as 4 years and $174 million.

There’s slight risk for Grant by not taking the deal. If he doesn’t stay healthy, chances are teams won’t be willing to offer him as much as they currently can.

The Blazers may also choose to re-evaluate their team in the offseason. If they don’t make the playoffs, doubling down on a lottery-bound core with Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and Grant all on $100M+ contracts could be a massive mistake.

However, Grant has played well and with the team just a game back from the play-in tournament, he’s more than deserving of an extension based on his individual play alone.