The Portland Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton experiment may have failed, but it was still worthwhile as they landed building block Toumani Camara from the Phoenix Suns.
This offseason, Portland was able to get Ayton to agree to forfeit $10 million of his $35.6 million salary this season in a buyout. They also agreed to a four-year, $82 million extension with Camara. They washed their hands clean of Ayton while locking down Camara long-term, which was an ideal outcome.
It also goes to show how quickly things develop in the ever-evolving NBA. Portland was willingly choosing to dump the former No. 1 overall pick in 2018 and build around the No. 52 overall pick in 2023. Both are proving to be the right decision.
Blazers stole a building block in Toumani Camara
Donovan Clingan is looking the part of Portland's long-term starting center, providing them with more of a two-way impact than Ayton had to offer with his elite rim protection.
Meanwhile, Camara has plateaued compared to last season. But is that even a bad thing?
Unlike Shaedon Sharpe's extension, Camara's carried much less risk. He already justified the $20.5 million annual value of his extension with his play last season as a 3-and-D wing, perhaps the most coveted player archetype in the association.
This year, Camara is averaging 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals on 41/35/66 shooting splits. His efficiency has dipped, and he's not quite playing at the same elite defensive level compared to his All-Defensive Second Team campaign. But we also must consider the state of Portland's roster.
They have dealt with multiple injuries this season, which has resulted in asking Camara to do too much on the offensive end. The reason he's a building block isn't necessarily because of his upside; it's because when you construct a roster, you want to have players that will be on that final version of a championship team.
He's not an ideal fit in his current role as a top option for the Blazers. He's best suited as the worst starter or even a bench player on a contender -- someone who impacts winning without running the offense through him, relying more on his floor spacing than his playmaking or shot creation. That way, he's also able to exert more energy, slowing down opposing teams' best players on the defensive end, where he's at his best.
Some may view this season as a relative disappointment because Camara hasn't stepped up in that increased offensive role. But that's okay. His career is going to be just fine as a 3-and-D wing who continues to impact winning at a high level.
The next step for Portland is to add more star power to drop Camara down in the pecking order, which will allow him to play more to his strengths. But the fact that they are able to have a piece like Camara, who they know can still provide value on a contending roster, is fundamental to their rebuild.
And it's all thanks to the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton.