Player card
- Team/status: officially acquired from Portland in the Ja Morant trade; standard roster, with later trade or role compression still plausible.
- Position: official roster label F; check SF/PF eligibility.
- Age/experience: 32 during the season; entering NBA Year 13.
- Depth role: veteran sixth man and second-unit scoring hub behind Boozer and the young wings, 24-minute base role. Published Grizzlies rotation projections treat him as the likely sixth man and the veteran offensive anchor on a team that shed Morant, Jackson, Bane and Aldama inside 13 months.
- 2025-26: 57 GP/38 starts for Portland, 29.7 MPG; .453 FG, .814 FT, 2.4 3PM, 18.6 PTS, 3.5 REB, 2.1 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.6 BLK, 2.1 TO. ESPN stats, accessed 2026-07-18
2026-27 base projection
| GP | MPG | FG% (FGA) | FT% (FTA) | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 24 | .450 (10.8) | .815 (4.2) | 2.1 | 15.2 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.6 |
Correction 2026-07-18 Raised from 20 to 24 minutes and 13.3 to 15.2 points, with the three-point projection restored from 1.7 to 2.1. The prior version described Grant as having "declining minutes," which the record does not support: he played 29.7 MPG across 57 games for Portland in 2025-26 and averaged 18.6 points on .453/.389 shooting with 2.4 threes, up from 14.4 points the prior year. The remaining haircut is real but is now attributed to its actual cause — a rebuilding team's development priorities, plus genuine deadline-trade or buyout risk on a $32 million contract with a player option to follow — rather than to a decline that did not happen. StatMuse 2025-26 season line, accessed 2026-07-18 · ESPN Morant trade report, 2026
Nine-category: top 110-150 per game; scoring, threes and FT impact are useful, but rebounds and defensive events are weak for a forward. Points: more playable because shot volume matters and category scarcity does not. Dynasty: sell/contender depth at age 32; a trade to a larger role could restore short-term value but not long-horizon insulation.
Range, strengths and risks
- Strengths: points, threes, free throws and position-flexible real-life defense.
- Liabilities: low rebounds/assists, age curve, reduced volume relative to Portland, and ordinary FG%.
- Floor: Memphis prioritizes youth or shuts him down after the deadline; 16-minute role, a February buyout, or uncertain new-team fit. Grant is a textbook in-season buyout candidate — a $32 million veteran sixth man on a tanking roster — and his departure would release minutes to Wells, GG Jackson, Prosper and Lopez.
- Base: first veteran forward off the bench, preserving scoring efficiency in fewer minutes than Portland gave him.
- Ceiling: starts alongside Boozer at 28-30 minutes or is traded to a contender needing offense, restoring 17-18 points and top-100 value.
- Injury/transaction branches: Boozer's readiness lowers his Memphis usage; a Grant trade opens nine minutes each for GG/Prosper/Hendricks/Lopez in different lineups.
NBA.com's trade report confirms the acquisition and his 18.6/3.5 2025-26 baseline. Public sources establish the transaction, not his Memphis role; that is the largest source disagreement and the reason minutes confidence is only medium. NBA.com trade report, updated 2026-06-30
Confidence
| Component | Label | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Roster | Medium-high | Officially acquired, though rerouting remains plausible. |
| Minutes | Medium | Veteran talent versus explicit youth-development incentive. |
| Rate | High | Long NBA record and recent 57-game baseline. |
| Availability | Medium | Age 32 and 57-game prior season warrant a discount. |
Sources
- Official Memphis roster — accessed 2026-07-18.
- CBS 2026-27 power rankings — 2026-07-13; team-development context, not a player projection.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Syracuse, two seasons (2012-14): 3.9 PPG reserve as a freshman, then 12.1 PTS / 6.8 REB / 1.4 AST in 31.4 MPG as a sophomore; All-ACC Honorable Mention (2014). Draft: 2014, Round 2, Pick 39, Philadelphia 76ers.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 20 | PHI | 65 | 21.2 | 6.3 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | .352 | .591 | 1.3 |
| 2015-16 | 21 | PHI | 77 | 26.8 | 9.7 | 4.7 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | .419 | .658 | 1.4 |
| 2016-17 | 22 | PHI | 2 | 20.5 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | .353 | .500 | 1.5 |
| 2016-17 | 22 | OKC | 78 | 19.1 | 5.4 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | .469 | .619 | 0.5 |
| 2017-18 | 23 | OKC | 81 | 20.3 | 8.4 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | .535 | .675 | 0.7 |
| 2018-19 | 24 | OKC | 80 | 32.7 | 13.6 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | .497 | .710 | 0.8 |
| 2019-20 | 25 | DEN | 71 | 26.6 | 12.0 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | .478 | .750 | 0.9 |
| 2020-21 | 26 | DET | 54 | 33.9 | 22.3 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.1 | .429 | .845 | 2.0 |
| 2021-22 | 27 | DET | 47 | 31.9 | 19.2 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.9 | .426 | .838 | 1.8 |
| 2022-23 | 28 | POR | 63 | 35.7 | 20.5 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.3 | .475 | .813 | 1.8 |
| 2023-24 | 29 | POR | 54 | 33.9 | 21.0 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | .451 | .817 | 2.1 |
| 2024-25 | 30 | POR | 47 | 32.4 | 14.4 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.3 | .373 | .849 | 1.4 |
| 2025-26 | 31 | POR | 57 | 29.7 | 18.6 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.4 | .453 | .814 | 2.1 |
| Career | — | — | 776 | 28.0 | 13.5 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.4 | .449 | .759 | 1.3 |
Durability: Iron-man early (77-81 GP three times through 2018-19), but he has not topped 63 games in any of the last six seasons: 54 in the shortened 2020-21, 47 in 2021-22 (thumb UCL surgery, then a season-ending calf strain), then 63 / 54 / 47 / 57 in Portland. Plan for 55-60 games, not 70.
Trajectory: The record shows a defense-first energy forward who reinvented himself as a 19-22 PPG scorer in Detroit and Portland, cratered to 14.4 on .373 FG in 2024-25, and then bounced back convincingly in 2025-26 (18.6 PTS, 2.4 3PM, .453/.814). The scoring skill is intact; what changed is context — Memphis acquired him in the Morant deal as a veteran sixth man on a rebuilding roster, so the 2026-27 projection cuts minutes for development reasons, not performance ones. He is fantasy-relevant now as a points/threes/FT source around the top-110-150 line, and becomes clearly draftable again if he starts at 28-30 minutes or is rerouted to a contender that needs his 17-18 points.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia
Open questions
- Does Grant start, accept a reserve role, or get traded again before the deadline?
- How much usage does Memphis preserve for him beside Boozer and Coward?