Many questioned general manager Joe Cronin when the Portland Trail Blazers surprisingly made an aggressive move to trade for Deni Avdija in the summer of 2024. The Blazers acquired Avdija from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Carlton Carrington (the No. 14 overall pick), a 2029 first-round pick (second-most favorable from Portland), and two second-round picks (2028 and 2030).
No one questioned Avdija's talent -- it had to do with the concern regarding whether a young Blazers squad should be sending out valuable future draft capital. That's almost unprecedented for a rebuilding team. The most recent example is the New Orleans Pelicans recklessly sending an unprotected 2026 first-round pick just to move up ten spots in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Maryland center Derik Queen.
Time will tell whether New Orleans made the right call (although we'd be surprised if they don't regret that trade). At least for Portland, Cronin's decision to trade for a rising star is already paying off.
Deni Avdija has become the most essential piece in Portland's rebuild
The 24-year-old Avdija is coming off the best season of his young career, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 48/37/78 shooting splits. The most promising aspect of that stat line is Avdija's 36.5% from beyond the arc. In his final two seasons with the Wizards, he significantly increased his three-point shooting from 29.7 to 37.4%. That substantial leap led many to wonder if Avdija was due for negative shooting regression in Portland and whether Cronin was paying a premium to acquire him at peak value. Over a year later, it's clear those concerns never materialized.
Portland received the better end of this deal, and it's not particularly close. In fact, you could make a strong case that Avdija is the best player on the Blazers' entire roster heading into the 2025-26 season.
The league is trending towards these jumbo playmakers that create matchup nightmares for defenses, and the Blazers quietly have one of their own in the 6-foot-9 Avdija. He's not only become a key building block for Portland, but he's also helped them establish a true identity.
Two of the biggest things the Blazers' front office and coaching staff have emphasized this offseason are defense and running in transition. Having Avdija on the roster is one of the primary reasons they are able to implement this strategy. He's defensively versatile as his combination of positional size and agility allows him to guard multiple positions effectively. Offensively, he's nicknamed "Turbo" for a reason -- his rebound rate and speed allow Avdija to be a one-man fastbreak.
This is why we were so confused when Chauncey Billups decided to bench Avdija in Portland's first preseason game. Billups had said that he'd experiment with different starting lineup combinations throughout the preseason, but none of the potential starting units he's considering should ever include any variation of Avdija coming off the bench.
He's become the most essential player in their entire rebuild, more than justifying Cronin's trade gamble.