Detroit Turned the Headline First-Round Pick Into Jalen Duren Almost Immediately
The most valuable piece Detroit received never reached the 2025 draft in Pistons hands. The Milwaukee 2025 first-round pick was moved the next day in the draft-night transaction that brought Detroit the rights to No. 13 pick Jalen Duren while the Pistons absorbed Kemba Walker. Detroit's own reporting explicitly tied that first-rounder from the Jerami Grant deal to the move for Duren. The underlying pick eventually became No. 19 Nolan Traore elsewhere, but Detroit's realized return from the asset was Duren, not the player selected three years later.
Duren Became the Result That Changed the Hindsight Grade
Duren turned a future pick into a foundational center. He played 276 regular-season games for Detroit across his first four seasons and earned both an All-Star selection and All-NBA Third Team honors in 2025-26. That outcome carries more weight than the original pick number because Detroit converted the asset while it controlled it. The trade did not single-handedly acquire Duren — taking on Walker's contract was also part of the transaction — but the Milwaukee first was the draft capital Detroit supplied. That direct link gives the Pistons a premium realized return from the Grant package.
The Rest of Detroit's Package Kept Producing Trade Currency
The smaller pieces did not sit untouched. Detroit later sent Gabriele Procida's rights with Kevin Knox II and a 2024 second-round pick to Utah for Simone Fontecchio; Fontecchio then played 91 regular-season games for the Pistons. Detroit's 2025 second-round pick was later included with Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and another second in the Washington deal for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala. The 2026 New Orleans-Portland second-round component also fed into the broader 2026 pick obligation Detroit sent Boston when it moved from No. 31 to No. 25 for Marcus Sasser. That obligation ultimately produced No. 38 Braden Smith after later transactions. Those chains should be credited only proportionally because each follow-up deal included additional assets.
Portland Still Received Four Productive Seasons From Grant
Portland did not lose this trade because Grant failed. He played 221 regular-season games for the Trail Blazers from 2022-23 through 2025-26, averaging at least 14.4 points in every season and topping 20 points per game in each of his first two Portland years. The Blazers then used Grant with Kris Murray in the June 2026 trade for Ja Morant. Morant cannot be assigned entirely to Grant because Murray was part of the outgoing package, but Grant clearly retained transaction value after four seasons of useful production. That keeps Portland's grade strong even though Detroit's Duren outcome ultimately carries more historical weight.
Final Verdict
Pistons Win — Detroit A, Portland B+. Portland received 221 regular-season games of productive Jerami Grant basketball and later used him as one of the pieces in the Ja Morant trade. Detroit, however, immediately converted the Milwaukee first-rounder from this deal into the draft capital used to acquire Jalen Duren, who reached 276 games, an All-Star selection and All-NBA Third Team honors through 2025-26. The remaining Detroit assets also stayed active in later transactions. Portland got a good player and years of production; Detroit extracted the higher-end franchise return.