Top 3 free agents the Kings should target to replace Harrison Barnes
By Logan Struck
2. Jerami Grant
At 29 years old, Jerami Grant offers the Kings something they have none of right now: a player that can attack the rim, create his own shot, and shoot the three at a high rate. The 6’8″ forward that played for the Portland Trail Blazers this past season averaged 20.5 points per game on 47.5% shooting from the field and 40.1% from three-point range.
Grant has had his fair deal of injuries, but when healthy is an offensive weapon with elite upside. After having a career-high in three-point volume and percentage, Grant would be great to pair with rising star Keegan Murray in the front court. Whether Grant plays the three and Murray the four, or vice versa, paired with Kevin Huerter at the two, the shooting on the perimeter would be outrageous.
The size and athleticism of Grant, combined with his skill set, might even put him at number one on this list. His athleticism and ability to run the floor is something the Kings did not always get from Barnes and is the main reason I see Grant as a significant upgrade.
His rebounding is not as strong of a trait as the Kings may want when spending over $20 million on a free agent. He only averaged 4.2 rebounds per game last year, with his career-high being 5.2 per game in 2019. While this might be a problem for some, I would love to see him in a system where he can be a small forward and let his offensive game shine.