3 bad contracts the Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl deal was better than

2. Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers (5 years, $160 million)

While Damian Lillard finally requested a trade, the ongoing saga had no impact on how the Blazers viewed his top co-star from last season. Grant’s deal with Portland ensures that the best years of his NBA career will be spent in the confines of the Pacific Northwest.

While Grant has proven himself to be a quality forward in this league that can hit 20 points per game in scoring with ease and regularity, he is a bit of an empty calories player. Grant’s best years came on a tanking Pistons team and a Blazers squad that has done next to nothing in the West.

The Trail Blazers overpaid Jerami Grant.

$160 million is money that is normally paid to players on the fringe of stardom or high-end No. 2 options on a championship contender. Grant is a worthwhile addition for Portland, but he hasn’t necessarily performed at a level worthy of such a huge investment.

Poeltl will never be the offensive player that Grant has become, and many of his prime seasons in the league were also wasted on a bad Spurs team, but Toronto should take solace in making sure they inked a far superior defensive player for half of what is an unreasonable contract.