Trade & FA 2024-25:

[SleepingHero]

I think that when he left Denver, he wanted a shot to be “the man” on a team, as well as a shot for the wealth that comes with that. And, he ALMOST made it, doing well enough in that role as a piston to get Portland interested, and then well enough there to get this current crazy contract he has now. At this point, it’s pretty clear that he’s not quite good enough to play that type of role well enough to make a team good. I suppose there’s a chance he doesn’t care about that and will happily just jack up shots for a team that is constantly down by 12 points, hoping that he can get even another big payday when this contract runs out, but I have to think he knows better than that, unlike Kyle Kuzma.

I also think that the line between where he is and “good enough to be the second best player on a good team” is paper thin. I think if most people here were to watch him for about five straight games, they would come away from that experience with a much higher level of respect for the skills he brings on both ends of the floor. He is a great ball handler for his size, capable of running the offense for long stretches. He’s a little bit like prime Lamar Odom, with better shooting range, now that I think about it. Defensively, it’s very true that he has slacked off in recent years, but I really don’t think that is about ability, I think that’s about him being the go to guy on a bad team. I like the chances of him making a defensive impact here if he wants to come. 

I think he might be better suited to play the PJ role than the DJJ role, and that gives me a little pause, but honestly the only thing I really don’t like about him is his contract.

I have a huge trepidation when it comes to Grant solely because of his apparent view on winning/lack of desire for it. His contract also scares me, but the best teams have the highest payrolls for a reason. 

Although I can reason exactly why he made the choice he did to leave Denver to go to Detroit. Up until that point he earned a little over 20 million dollars total for his career. He was 25. Just put together 2 seasons of solid play with OKC and DEN. So he took a bet on himself in Detroit and it paid off money wise. He has since earned a total of 82 million. After this most recent contract his total career earnings will be 243 million dollars(!!!!!!!!!). Essentially he completed his goal to earn life changing money in this league.

So now does he want to actually try and win? Or is he happy just playing out this contract, jacking up shots, and enjoying a lack of accountability? If the Mavs were to trade for him and he starts demanding touches, not playing with the team, etc. I can see a pretty disastrous outcome. I suppose his contract his big enough where we can package it for another big name but I don't want it to come to that. 

On paper Grant is the most ideal player for this team. I agree with you skill wise he's one of the most unique players in this league. Offensively he can do everything. Defensively he can guard 1-5 easily (if he wants to). But that attitude scares me. And we won't/can't have any answers unless Grant himself clarifies his desires or actually shows he wants to win. 

Put it this way, the guy we were terrified over attitude wise during the TDL was Andrew Wiggins. He has at least shown he wants to win in his career. Something Grant has never done! That's scary!