Syracuse Basketball: Jerami Grant teaming up with LeBron James would be sight to see

Free-agency moves are currently taking place in the NBA, and there are media reports out there regarding the status of former Syracuse basketball star Jerami Grant, who suits up for the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward, who played two seasons on the Hill before heading to the pros, averaged 21.0 points per game this past season while shooting 45.1 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.7 percent from the free-throw line.

However, he only appeared in 54 regular-season contests, and Portland finished with an abysmal 21-61 record, which was last in the Western Conference.

This week, I've come across various reports regarding Grant amid the free-agency period this off-season, which began not too long ago.

Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily, for one, wrote in a post on his X page not too long ago that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Trail Blazers "have been in consistent talks on a deal for Jerami Grant."

Should Grant go to the Lakers and play alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and others, that most certainly would prove fun to watch. But nothing has been finalized, and there's no guarantee that Grant is headed to Los Angeles or any other NBA squad.

Let's see if former Syracuse basketball player Jerami Grant is traded this off-season.

While James and Davis are All-NBA players, for some context, the Lakers were 47-35 in the 2023-24 regular season, were the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference during the playoffs, and got bounced in the first round by the No. 2 seed, the Denver Nuggets, in five games.

In the recent 2024 NBA Draft held late last month, the Lakers selected (and have since signed) Tennessee's Dalton Knecht, a first-team All-American last season, and Southern California's Bronny James, who is LeBron's son.

From a totally selfish, personal standpoint, Grant going to the Lakers would be lovely for a couple of reasons. Number one, he's one of my favorite 'Cuse players in recent history, hailing from the DMV like me and starring at the famed DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., which is about 30 miles from where I grew up in the Baltimore area.

Additionally, my son's favorite pro team is the Lakers, and his favorite active NBA player is LeBron James. My son's favorite college programs include Syracuse, Tennessee (and North Carolina), so getting to watch LeBron, Bronny, Jerami and Dalton would prove fabulous for us.

Grant, who before the 2023-24 term signed a five-year, $160 million deal with Portland, was a part of the Orange's 2012 class as a four-star, top-50 national prospect. In his freshman season, the 'Cuse went on a glorious run in March Madness as a No. 4 seed to the Final Four, ultimately compiling a 30–10 overall mark.

In the 2013-14 term, as a sophomore when Syracuse basketball transitioned from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Grant was a key contributor as the Orange started out 25-0 and would finish that season with a 28-6 record.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Grant at No. 39 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Besides Philadelphia, he has played for Oklahoma City, Denver, Detroit and now Portland.

Oh, and in late May, word broke that Grant had joined the ownership group of D.C. United, a Major League Soccer club that has captured the MLS Cup four times.