Last summer, the Portland Trail Blazers shockingly acquired Deni Avdija seemingly out of nowhere. They paid a steep price to land the rising star, sending the Washington Wizards a package consisting of multiple valuable assets: veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, the No. 14 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft (turned into Bub Carrington), a 2029 first-round pick, and future second-round picks.
After revisiting the trade one year later, several factors made this trade a significant win for Portland. The latest development of this is that Brogdon -- a key piece in the trade -- remains an unsigned free agent.
Deni Avdija trade looks even better one year later
At the time of the deal, Brogdon was an obvious trade candidate for the Blazers. He didn't fit Portland's rebuilding timeline and was blocking the path for their up-and-coming backcourt of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe (an issue that continues to resurface in unexpected ways after bringing back Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday).
Most importantly, Portland had no business being in the luxury tax after a 21-win season. They not only managed to avoid that nightmare scenario by offloading Brogdon's $22.5 million salary, but they also wisely used it as a salary filler to land Avdija, who has arguably the best contract in the league after signing a frontloaded four-year, $55 million deal with the Wizards in 2023.
The Blazers gambled on Avdija's improved three-point shot being here to stay, which paid off in a significant way. Avdija averaged a well-rounded 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 48/37/78 in his first year in Portland.
Overall, that was the best statistical season of Deni's career. Still, the numbers didn't even paint the entire picture as he turned a corner midseason with the Blazers, taking on an increased role as a point forward to initiate more of the offense. He'll look to carry that momentum into what could result in a borderline All-Star season.
Portland has won the trade as Avdija's production continues to increase while his annual salary somehow decreases. Making it more lopsided is the fact that the Blazers are sending over the second most favorable of 2029 first-round picks between their own, Milwaukee's, and Boston's.
The Blazers are set to be competitive in the near future as their young core nears its collective prime. The Celtics are well-positioned for continued success as long as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown remain (especially since Portland helped solve their salary cap problem by taking on Holiday). Meanwhile, their bet against the Bucks increasingly looks wiser. If everything goes according to plan, the gap between Boston's and Portland's picks will be marginal, while the Blazers cash in on the Bucks' impending downfall.
Malcolm Brogdon's free agency proves Blazers sold high
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has rightfully received credit for identifying Avdija as a perfect fit for Portland's young core and aggressively going out to get him, attaching draft capital in a trade as a rebuilding team. However, the overlooked factor that makes this deal even better for Portland is that Cronin maximized Brogdon's value in the trade. The Blazers sold high on Brogdon, coming off a season where he averaged 15.7 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 41.2 percent from deep.
In general, Cronin's most glaring flaw in his roster construction is that he holds onto players for too long and doesn't maximize their value, with Jerami Grant, Robert Williams III, Anfernee Simons, and even Lillard being examples of that. But in this particular trade, he sent away Brogdon at the perfect time.
While he's most likely eventually going to be signed by a contender looking for a veteran presence in the backcourt, the fact that he remains a free agent still shows how far Brogdon's stock has fallen. A 24-game season where he averaged 12.7 points and shot 28.6 percent from deep will do that to a player.