Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints recently brought up an "unconfirmed proposal" involving Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija. Here was the deal in full:
Trail Blazers receive: Brandon Clarke, GG Jackson, a 2026 first-round pick (protected), a 2028 first-round pick (swap/protected), and second-round picks (2025, 2027).
Grizzlies receive: Deni Avdija
Blazers fans will save Grizzlies fans some time -- there's no need to confirm the validity of that proposal. This is not to say that the sources are correct or incorrect, but the Blazers should never sign off on this.
We all acknowledge the Blazers clearly fleeced the Wizards last summer. Are we even sure that's a better package than what Portland sent to Washington?
The Blazers shouldn't trade Deni Avdija unless it's an All-Star upgrade
Last summer, the Blazers landed a rising star in Avdija, trading away Malcolm Brogdon, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. We were high on the trade from the start, but it left many wondering why a rebuilding Blazers team would be sacrificing valuable draft capital (the No. 14 pick in 2024 also turned into Bub Carrington, who had a productive rookie campaign).
One summer later, a once-polarizing deal looks like a steal by the Blazers. Avdija finished his first season in Rip City, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, all of which were career-highs. He also proved that his improved three-point shooting from 29.7 to 37.4 percent with Washington wasn't a fluke, connecting on 36.5 percent of his attempts with the Blazers (around league average).
To make the trade even more lopsided and the Blazers' future more promising, Avdija turned a corner post-All-Star break, taking on more of a point forward role as the go-to option for the Blazers' offense. In that 20-game stretch, he averaged 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on efficient 51/42/78 shooting splits. Extrapolated over the course of the season, that's in consideration for an All-Star appearance in the loaded Western Conference.
The Blazers aren't going to give that up for anything close to role players and less draft capital than they initially traded Avdija for, with both first-round picks being protected and one being a swap.
We expect this type of trade from Los Angeles Lakers fans with rationally delusional confidence after landing Luka Doncic, as they tend to take the opposing team's best players out of nowhere. But it's clear that the Blazers won their trade last season, and this isn't a significant upgrade, if any, from that deal.
Unless Portland is using Avdija as a stepping-stone upgrade to land a bona fide star, he should absolutely be off-limits.