ESPN's Kevin Pelton regraded the Portland Trail Blazers' Deni Avdija trade with the Washington Wizards one year later. Initially, Pelton gave Portland a C+ and Washington a B+. This time, the Blazers were upgraded to an A-, while the Wizards were downgraded to a B-.
Fans and analysts alike were shocked when the Blazers decided to trade for Avdija last summer. After all, Portland was coming off a lackluster 21-win season. Moving veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon seemed inevitable as he didn't fit their timeline, and Portland needed to get under the luxury tax. But many assumed that the rebuilding Blazers would look to turn Brogdon into more draft capital, not attach their own picks in the package.
Revisiting Blazers' Deni Avdija trade one year later
In an aggresive move by Blazers general manager Joe Cronin, they sent Brogdon, a 2024 No. 14 overall pick (Bub Carrington), a 2029 first-round pick (second-most favorable from Portland), and two second-round picks (2028 and 2030) to the Washington Wizards for rising star Avdija.
Avdija had finished a career-best year in Washington, averaging 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. The most considerable improvement was in his three-point shot, drastically increasing from 29.7 to 37.4 percent. Such a significant increase led many to wonder whether it was a fluke and unsustainable; that was a massive concern for a Blazers team that ranked dead last in three-point percentage at the time, especially considering they included Brogdon in the deal, who was their most efficient three-point shooter that season (41.2 percent).
Avdija struggled with his shot early on in Portland, suggesting he was regressing to the mean. He even shot just 11.1 percent from deep in October, making Pelton's initial C+ grade look way too generous. Fortunately for Portland, the gamble eventually paid off, and in a major way.
Avdija finally seemed to settle down, both in terms of finding his shot and figuring out his role in the offense. That resulted in a career-best year with the Blazers, finishing with 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 48/37/78 shooting splits.
Blazers won the Avdija trade, but must capitalize on it
One year later, this trade is a rare win-win that leans more in the Blazers' favor. It's hard to fault the Wizards for dealing Avdija, especially since they are now in a prime rebuilding position with many exciting young pieces headlined by their trio of Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson.
But Portland landed Avdija, who has arguably the best contract in the league and continues to improve at 24 years old. What once looked like an overpay is turning into a steal for Portland, as they may have a legitimate All-Star on their hands.
However, the main thing preventing the Blazers from receiving a higher grade is their inability to take advantage of Avdija's contract.
"Given Avdija's favorable contract (descending from $14.4 million this season to $11.9 million in 2027-28), if Portland wanted to deal Avdija again, teams might offer even more first-round picks for him. The biggest issue is that Avdija's contract is so good, it probably will take using cap space for a renegotiation in the summer of 2027 to sign him to an extension," Pelton writes.
It's great that Portland won this trade. But in some ways, they offset Avdija's team-friendly contract by keeping Jerami Grant around and adding Jrue Holiday this summer. And unless the Blazers' young core takes significant strides, it will be hard to match the timelines to build a contender while Avdija is still on this deal.
Regardless, it's still a win for Portland, as it gave them a true building block and a No. 1 option, at least for now.