As things presently stand, the Portland Trail Blazers have made exactly one move in free agency thus far, signing Bryce McGowens to a two-way contract following a run with the Charlotte Hornets from 2022-24.
Now granted, maybe McGowens will turn into a legitimate player in Portland; maybe he'll find a spot in Chauncey Billups' rotation or at least end up on a full-on NBA contract before the end of the season, and the signing will be celebrated forever. Alternatively, maybe 2024 first-round pick Donovan Clingan will quickly establish himself as the Blazers' new big of the future, allowing the team to move on from Robert Williams and/or Deandre Ayton in the not-too-distant future to help further fill out their depth chart.
Still, in the end, the Blazers did enter July with one of the best new contracts on their books in Deni Avdija, the ninth overall pick of the Washington Wizards from 2020, who was acquired for a 2024 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2030 second-round pick.
Is that a pretty massive price to pay for a forward who only broke out last fall, with his points per game jumping from 9.2 to 14.7 points per game while his 3-point shooting numbers increased by nearly 10 points on identical volume? Sure, and as a result, plenty of talent evaluators have called this move a massive win for the Wizards, and rightfully so, but even if the price was steep – even if pick 14 in the 2024 NBA draft was somewhat undervalued versus a usual year – the Wizards still left the draft with a better player than anyone they would have selected themselves, which, for a team in need of instant production, is incredibly valuable.
Standing 6-foot-9, 210 pounds with long arms and a rangy build, Avdija looks the part of a modern-day 3-and-D combo forward; he's tall enough to guard power forwards, quick enough to switch onto shooting guards and has the potent combination of length and speed needed to get himself buckets in the iso game, with over 70 percent of his points coming inside the arc last season. Afforded a chance to start full-time in 2023-24 after watching Kristaps Porzingis be traded to the Boston Celtics in a three-team deal that netted Washington Tyus Jones, Avdija shined while beginning all 75 of the games he appeared in last season as part of Washington's starting five, and improved drastically with the additional workload the opportunity provided.
Now widely expected to slot into the starting five on the wings alongside Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant, it'll be worth seeing if Avdija can continue to ascend on a team with equally low expectations or if he will instead revert to his 2022-23 form, which is still a useful player but more of a top-8 bench performer, as opposed to a very good starting option early in a four-year, $55 million extension that runs through the 2027-28 NBA season, when the Blazers will either be good again or able to offload his expiring deal for a solid return.
Deni Avdija is excited to be a Blazer.
Speaking with reporters at the Blazers' facility for the first time since the trade, Deni Avdija celebrated the move from Washington DC to the Pacific Northwest, noting that everyone in Portland has been very welcoming and he's now focused on taking the team back to its former glory.
“First of all, I'm very excited. A new chapter in my journey, a great organization. They welcomed me very, very well, so it's a good start. I'm glad to be in a place people embrace me and love me. I'm going to bring my competitiveness, and we're going to have a lot of fun,” Deni Avdija told reporters via FanNation.
“I'm expecting to be a big part of the team, help them become a better team, take it to the next level. Honestly, I expect to get better every single day. Come here, work out, get the knowledge of the coaches, the organization. Just become a better player and a better person.”
Did the Blazers give up a lot to acquire Avdija? Yes, Malcolm Brogdan will certainly be missed this fall, as well as the picks they surrendered both in future trade conversations and on future draft nights. Still, to land an ascending, 23-year-old 3-and-D combo forward on an incredibly team-friendly contract is no laughing matter. While only time will tell if Avdija is able to round out a rapidly ascending Big 3 with Scoot Henderson and Sharpe or if one or all three of those players will end up being moved for the next big thing, for now, fans in Portland have to feel pretty good about their current young core, especially after a very disappointing run in Year 1 without Damian Lillard.
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