Hapoel Tel Aviv Negotiates to Sign Guard Jerian Grant from Panathinaikos

Hapoel Tel Aviv is currently in discussions with Panathinaikos to acquire guard Jerian Grant, who is still under contract with the Greek club. Grant, 33 years old and 1.96 meters tall, has spent the past three seasons with Panathinaikos, winning the EuroLeague with them. Hapoel is prepared to offer financial compensation to facilitate the transfer and hopes to finalize the deal soon.

Grant has held a relatively stable role in Panathinaikos' rotation under coach Argyris Pedoulakis, who left the team last summer. However, his performance last season declined compared to previous years, averaging 6.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per EuroLeague game. In his first season with Panathinaikos, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals.

Panathinaikos recently returned to coach Željko Obradović, who strengthened the backcourt by signing Branko Lazić alongside Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sloukas. If the transfer of Grant does not materialize, Hapoel Tel Aviv plans to pursue other options, including guards Eugene German and Jamir Young.

German, 28, is a combo guard who played college basketball at Northern Illinois, becoming the school's all-time leading scorer with over 2,000 points. After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, he played professionally in Greece, Turkey, China, and Puerto Rico, most recently averaging 17.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in Puerto Rico. He is known for his scoring ability both inside and from outside.

Jamir Young, 25, played college basketball at Charlotte and Maryland and went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He began his professional career in the NBA G League and had brief stints with the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. Recently, he impressed in the NBA Summer League with averages of 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Hapoel is also in contact with other players like Cam Payne and Spencer Dinwiddie, though they are not considered primary candidates.