Oklahoma City acquired Jerami Grant for Ersan Ilyasova and a protected pick that ultimately became Tyrese Maxey.
Oklahoma City acquired Jerami Grant from Philadelphia on November 1, 2016, for Ersan Ilyasova and a protected future first-round pick. Grant was 22 and already had 144 NBA games behind him, but his offensive role was still developing. With the Thunder he grew from a reserve into a full-time starter. By 2018-19 he played 80 games, started 77 and averaged 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 39.2 percent from three.
The Thunder did not lose Grant for nothing. In July 2019 they traded him to Denver for a top-10-protected 2020 first-round pick after his career-best season. That pick ultimately landed at No. 25, where Immanuel Quickley was selected before the rights moved through another draft-night transaction. For Oklahoma City, the Grant acquisition therefore produced nearly three seasons of useful forward play and a first-round asset on the way out, supporting a strong B+ even in a losing trade.
Ilyasova gave Philadelphia 53 games and 40 starts in 2016-17, averaging 14.8 points before the 76ers moved him to Atlanta at the deadline for Tiago Splitter and additional second-round considerations. The larger payoff took four years. Oklahoma City's protected first conveyed in 2020 at No. 21, and Philadelphia selected Tyrese Maxey. Maxey developed into an All-Star guard, turning what began as a patient draft asset into the most valuable individual outcome tied to the original deal.
This is not a case where Oklahoma City made a bad decision. Grant developed exactly the way the Thunder hoped, helped playoff teams and later brought back another first. Philadelphia simply converted its side into more total value: useful Ilyasova production, a later trade return from Ilyasova and, most importantly, the pick that became Maxey. The canonical A for Philadelphia and B+ for Oklahoma City capture that distinction. The 76ers win the hindsight comparison without turning the Thunder's process into a failure.
76ers Win — Philadelphia A, Oklahoma City B+. Jerami Grant became a starting-caliber two-way forward for the Thunder and later returned a 2020 first-round pick in the Denver trade. Philadelphia received 53 games from Ersan Ilyasova, later moved him again for additional value, and held the protected Oklahoma City first until it conveyed at No. 21 in 2020. That selection became Tyrese Maxey, whose All-Star development creates the decisive hindsight edge. Oklahoma City still earned a strong return; Philadelphia simply produced the best asset.