The Portland Trail Blazers have arguably the best contract in the association with an All-Star in Deni Avdija on the books for a total of roughly $25 million over the next two years. However, it's unlikely Avdija plays out the entirety of that contract.
Portland needs to make it a priority to lock down their ascending star for the future, and will first have to renegotiate his current contract to extend off that new figure. They can only offer a 140 percent increase on that final-year figure, which complicates their extension talks.
Blazers need to prioritize a Deni Avdija extension
It would be wise for Portland's front office to make this a priority as they navigate the offseason. To give themselves better financial flexibility in the future, we always said one of Jerami Grant or Jrue Holiday's massive contracts should be shed.
Portland finally got off its negative asset by shipping Grant to the Memphis Grizzlies, but in return they got another negative asset in Morant. As a former two-time All-Star, Morant's higher upside makes this a worthwhile deal for Portland, but with that comes an even steeper price to pay.
While the Blazers may have traded Grant, it wasn't a salary dump move to prioritize Avdija. Instead, they took the roster in the other direction, which could potentially make Holiday the odd man out.
Portland currently has a guard logjam consisting of four quality point guards, leaving many to wonder if Holiday was the next domino to fall. As of now, that doesn't appear to be the case, as the Blazers have told teams they intend to keep Holiday in the picture, believing they can make it work with his positional versatility.
Ja Morant trade could make Jrue Holiday the odd man out in Portland
However, just because Portland isn't actively shopping the veteran guard doesn't mean they won't trade him. Part of the benefit of making a good-value trade for Morant is that it gives them even more roster flexibility as they now have the luxury of accepting offers that are too good to refuse, whether that's for Holiday or another backcourt asset like Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe.
The Blazers could even head into the 2026-27 season with all of these guards still on their roster, giving themselves until February's deadline to decide. One thing they have on their side is time, and they could certainly use more of it to properly evaluate this logjam before making a significant roster decision.
But whether it's this summer or down the road, Holiday's contract seems to make him the eventual odd man out in Portland. They didn't solve their future Avdija problem by swapping Grant's contract for Morant's, meaning now they'll likely have to do so by moving off Holiday.
At least he's the more valuable asset between the two, so if that time does come, the Blazers are in a good position to get even more future assets to add to their treasure chest.
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