Deni Avdija is on arguably the best contract in the entire association, which is yet another reason why the Trail Blazers trade with the Wizards looks incredibly lopsided in Portland's favor. Avdija is on a front-loaded contract, owed $14.4 million this season, which decreases to $11.9 million in 2027-28.
While it's great that the Blazers somehow managed to steal a rising star on such a team-friendly deal, it also presents them with a future problem that they must proactively prepare for. Avdija is outplaying that contract, and eventually it will have to be renegotiated and extended.
However, the Blazers can only extend off the final year of his contract, offering 140% of that figure. So while Avdija's front-loaded contract has benefits -- bringing in Jrue Holiday, extending Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara, etc. -- it does complicate a future extension. They will first have to renegotiate, which could present a challenge as the rebuilding Blazers look to both retain and improve upon their existing core.
One obvious solution to Avdija's looming contract situation is to offload Jerami Grant, potentially even before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Blazers can lock down Deni Avdija by trading Jerami Grant
Grant is Portland's second-highest-paid player, owed a total of $102.6 million over the next three seasons (accounting for a player option in 2027-28). While this isn't necessarily a pressing problem, securing Avdija long-term must be made a priority as he's quickly become the face of the franchise. The Blazers must keep that in mind as they navigate the deadline, and there may be no better opportunity to sell relatively high on Grant.
ESPN's Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton recently highlighted one player to watch on each team at the deadline. For the Blazers, that player was Grant. Pelton suggests Portland should explore trades for Grant to give them financial flexibility to lock down Avdija, even though it would only make their current shooting woes even worse.
"The Blazers are comfortably in the play-in mix, and Grant's shooting is an important part of the rotation. At the same time, creating cap space this offseason would give Portland the ability to save up for renegotiating Deni Avdija's contract simultaneously with a long-term extension. Given Avdija's importance and that a conventional extension is unrealistic, that's worth exploring."
Grant was previously considered one of the most significant negative assets after an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign. He's successfully boosted that stock with a resurgent 2025-26 season, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 44/39/87 shooting splits.
Suddenly, the biggest hurdle in trading away Grant has gone from finding a willing trade partner to making the salaries match. It's much more challenging to make the finances work midseason when teams don't have as much roster flexibility.
It also remains to be seen if general manager Joe Cronin even wants to trade Grant, as his improved play will help their postseason chances. But the Blazers have consistently emphasized a long-term approach, and taking a step back in the short term to secure an All-Star-level player would align with that vision.