Deni Avdija's All-Star campaign was a key reason the Trail Blazers 2025-26 season should be considered a success. Despite a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Spurs and losing their lottery-protected pick to the Bulls, Avdija's breakout season helped close the star power gap between Portland and the Western Conference juggernauts.
Unfortunately, Avdija's ascension does have a downside as well: he's massively outplaying his front-loaded and team-friendly contract.
Avdija is set to make $13.1 million this upcoming season and just $11.9 million in 2027-28. He has a strong case to be considered the best contract in the league, making the Blazers once-controversial trade with the Wizards look even more lopsided in Portland's favor.
Better yet, Avdija has emerged as the face of the Blazers franchise, giving them a legitimate star to build around that they've been desperately seeking since Damian Lillard's initial departure in 2023.
At just 25 years old, the best is yet to come for Avdija and the Blazers. That is, if they can manage to keep him around long-term.
Blazers must prioritize Deni Avdija's extension in every offseason decision
As a smaller market, Portland has had difficulty attracting and even retaining top-tier talent. Hopefully, that won't be the case with Avdija. His extension must be Portland's top priority in the coming seasons, even factoring into the moves they make as soon as this summer.
The fact that Avdija's contract is front-loaded actually complicates an extension. They can only offer up to 140 percent of his final year's salary, which is nowhere close to his price tag. In other words, Portland must first renegotiate his existing contract and then extend off of that new figure.
It's a financially difficult situation that Portland's front office needs to proactively account for. In general, it was going to be challenging to retain and upgrade their existing young core. Having to navigate Avdija's contract situation only adds another layer of complexity. They can't afford to let him land elsewhere, especially considering he's just entering his prime and only getting better in this point-forward role. Losing him would defeat so much of the momentum Portland has built throughout this rebuild.
Blazers have yet another reason to trade Jerami Grant
The most straightforward solution to this future problem would be to trade one of Jerami Grant or Jrue Holiday this offseason. Both have two years remaining on their respective contracts (with player options in 2027-28) and are set to make roughly $70 million each over that stretch.
Although the Blazers could get more for Holiday on the trade market, their recent playoff appearance, paired with Damian Lillard's anticipated return, changes the equation. New owner Tom Dundon expects this team to win sooner rather than later, and the two-time champion will help Portland achieve those short-term goals more so than Grant.
Hopefully, Grant's relatively resurgent season has changed the league-wide narrative of being considered a negative asset. Ideally, Portland is either able to ship him for an expiring contract or include him as the salary filler should they land a star this offseason.
Either way, trading Grant has to be at the top of their offseason wish list. That should've been the case regardless, but the sense of urgency and necessity is heightened with Avdija's extension looming.
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