Woj: Thunder Trade Jerami Grant to Nuggets for 2020 1st-Rounder After PG13 Deal
The Oklahoma City Thunder traded forward Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets on Monday for a 2020 first-round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The move comes on the heels of OKC trading six-time All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend for a package including five first-round picks.
According to Wojnarowski, dealing Grant will save the Thunder $39 million in salary and luxury tax. ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the franchise has trimmed its luxury-tax bill from $71 million to $13 million since the start of free agency.
Grant spent just over two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers after being drafted in the second round in 2014. The 76ers traded him to the Thunder in November 2016, and he is coming off his finest performance to date in an expanded role in Oklahoma City.
In 80 games (77 starts), the 25-year-old established career highs in scoring (13.6 PPG), rebounding (5.2 RPG) and three-point shooting (39.2) percent. He also recorded a defensive rating of 105.6, among the best of his career.
Although the Thunder have lost two starters from last season's playoff squad, they did receive veteran Danilo Gallinari (who shot 43.3 percent from three-point range in 2018-19) in the George trade, making Grant and his $9.3 million salary expendable.
Meanwhile, Denver is adding to a roster that finished second in the Western Conference at 54-28. The 6'9" Grant will give the Nuggets additional length on the wing.
