The Portland Trail Blazers landed Toumani Camara in the Deandre Ayton-Jusuf Nurkic trade with the Phoenix Suns, which was part of the larger three-team Damian Lillard blockbuster deal. Many don't realize that Portland interviewed Camara ahead of the draft and specifically targeted him in the Ayton trade after the Suns selected him.
"They did their homework," Sam Vecenie said on the Game Theory Podcast. "They knew what they wanted with Toumani. That was a guy they wanted to target, and they wanted to get within that deal."
Toumani Camara perfectly fit the Blazers' vision
The NBA is changing in the sense that key players aren't switching teams via free agency as frequently. On top of that, Portland has never been a market that attracts star players that way. Because of this, the Blazers' best bet to upgrade their roster comes through the draft and trades. Those two aspects are connected.
For instance, it's no coincidence that former ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz was high on Deni Avdija [subscription required] as a prospect heading into the 2020 NBA Draft. Schmitz eventually joined Portland's front office as the assistant general manager, and they later made an aggresive trade to acquire Avdija from the Washington Wizards.
Credit general manager Joe Cronin for having a clear vision for the Blazers. Cronin wanted to establish an identity as a versatile, lengthy, athletic, and defensive-minded team. He then traded for two wings that fit the bill in Camara and Avdija. Even better, they also emerged as the two crucial building blocks in Portland's rebuild.
Portland was lucky to land Camara
The Blazers had some help in the luck department with this trade. They may have coveted Camara, but no one knew he'd be this good. He's already become an All-Defense player and is an extremely valuable 3-and-D piece for Portland, shooting 37.5 percent from deep last season. Offensively, he continues expanding his arsenal beyond just his floor spacing.
There's also luck involved in the fact that Phoenix ultimately agreed to include Camara.
"But also, what if the Phoenix Suns just say no? Is that going to break down the Damian Lillard deal? You're going to hold up the entire deal over Toumani Camara at that time? The 52nd overall pick? Probably not." Vecenie said. "It's a combo of both [luck and skill]. That's the thing about the NBA. You have to be good, and you have to evaluate well. And Portland, I think, did an amazing job of evaluating Toumani Camara and targeting him in that trade. But also, you have to be lucky that another team is willing to give up a guy in a deal like this."
Camara was initially viewed by many as the trade sweetener, but he's quickly become the best asset in that deal. Ayton is still trying to find his footing, this time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nurkic's career continues spiraling downward, recently getting called out by his national coach for being out of shape. Meanwhile, Camara has been so impactful on the Blazers to the point where they could no longer tank.
They singlehandedly accelerated their rebuild by trading for a No. 52 overall selection. And it's thanks to their pre-draft evaluation of said prospect (and a little luck).