The Contract Nobody Agreed With; and How It May Work Out
By Hayden Shapiro
A lot of semi-superstars got paid with a capital P this offseason. Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards earned a 4 year, $102 million dollar deal and Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies got a 5 year, $207 million dollar deal. Sports media looks at these contracts as “over-paying” or “wasting cap space”, but these players are critical parts to their team, and here are some examples.
When the Heat signed Jimmy Butler to a 4 year, $142 million dollar contract, NBA fans and media thought Miami had too much hope in it’s new franchise player. Well, how did that turn out? The Heat have made the Finals twice since 2020, as well as a Eastern Conference Finals loss against Boston in 2022. Jimmy Butler has solidified himself as a Miami Heat legend and the Heat have become a powerhouse on the East’s side of the playoff bracket year after year.
The contract that caught the attention of the NBA world this offseason was Portland forward, Jerami Grant, and his 5 year, $160 million dollar deal. By no means am I comparing Jimmy Butler to Jerami Grant, but with a resetting (not necessarily rebuilding) team like the Trail Blazers, why not have a reliable option for the foreseeable future? The Trail Blazers made a lot of noise this offseason, maybe the most in the league. They drafted their new young star, Scoot Henderson, with the third pick in the draft. Scoot has pure basketball ability. He is a strong guard who loves to take his defender inside. Portland traded Damian Lillard, possibly the greatest Blazer ever, to the Bucks. In return they got Jrue Holiday, but he was quickly flipped for Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon from the Boston Celtics. Not to forget their breakout star Anfernee Simons, who last year put on a clinic when Dame was not available. This team has a clear vision for the future, and with this contract given to Grant, they have a player they will be around for some time. Grant is a pure scorer. He puts defenders in a tough position and excels at driving along the baseline. This is perfect because if Scoot wants to drive in, Grant will be aiting in the corner ready for a pump fake or open three.
That is why this contract is so important to Portland and it makes no sense for overreaction, because we have seen it work before. This is not a rebuilding team by any means. Watch out for the Blazers and Jerami Grant, because they could play spoiler to a lot of Western Conference teams this season.
