Heading into the offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers were rumored to be a team looking to go star hunting. After expressing interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Trey Murphy III (at February's trade deadline), and even considering Anthony Davis as a backup plan should they miss out on Giannis, Portland landed... Ja Morant?
The star name hasn't matched the production as of late, making this a relatively underwhelming move compared to the other star names. The trade assets surrendered, Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, tell you everything you need to know about Morant's current value around the league.
Blazers must prioritize Deni Avdija over Ja Morant
But there are two reasons Portland should feel comfortable with this low-risk Morant trade.
First, they kept all of the Milwaukee Bucks' draft capital, which has only further increased in value with the Bucks embracing a post-Giannis rebuild this offseason.
Additionally, the Blazers don't necessarily need to find more star power externally. This is an up-and-coming roster that was already able to get back into the postseason largely because of Deni Avdija's All-Star ascension. Portland was finally able to compete with the other star-studded teams in the West because they had a top-25 player of their own.
The gap was still apparent in Portland's quick first-round exit at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in five games. If they truly want to make a deep playoff run, they'll have to find someone closer to a top ten-level talent to give players like Victor Wembanyama a true fight.
Talks of whether Avdija could truly lead a contender as a No. 1 option immediately surfaced after the Blazers fell to the Spurs. Many point to that as a flaw in Portland's roster building. GM Joe Cronin assembled a deep team but one that may not be top-heavy enough to reach the Conference Finals anytime soon.
Could Deni Avdija follow the Knicks' Jalen Brunson blueprint?
But didn't we see the New York Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, pull off the series upset to end New York's 53-year-old title drought?
Brunson wasn't ever really considered a top-10 player; he just gradually continued to get better until he ultimately left veryone eno choice but to include him after becoming the King of New York, slaying the 7-foot-4 dragon that is Wembanyama.
That's easier said than done since Brunson is an exceptional talent, but it's what Portland should be aiming for with Avdija. He's not going to get that respect as a top 10 player until he's changing the narrative himself with Portland exceeding expectations in the playoffs.
That's the danger in counting Portland out with Avdija as its best player. Sure, it remains true right now. It's hard to say otherwise after seeing what predictably transpired against the Spurs. But look at how much Avdija has grown from his final year with the Wizards to the two productive seasons he's now had in Portland. He's only 25 and still getting better as he gets more comfortable becoming the primary offensive initiator in that point forward role.
Portland's ceiling is tied to Avdija's continued growth
Not to mention, he was dealing with a lingering back injury following the All-Star break. We've yet to see this new-look version of Avdija over the entire course of a season, including the playoffs.
There are legitimately only a few players around the league that have the same matchup advantage as a jumbo guard, with Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham coming to mind. He's only going to get better at figuring out how to utilize that rare combination of strength, speed, ball-handling, and finishing.
Right now, the most important area to address is limiting turnovers without compromising the aggressive downhill style of play.
That's the question mark surrounding the Blazers' trade for Ja Morant and whether his arrival will ultimately have a positive or negative effect on Avdija's growth. Portland did need a secondary ball-handler, but are we sure he's not going to be the primary one, taking away some of Avdija's touches? Limiting Avdija to a wing rather than a point forward is to take away part of what makes him a special talent.
As long as they head into the season with the knowledge that this is still Avdija's world and Morant is just living in it, it should be a welcome addition of cheap talent. That's an important decision for Micah Nori and Portland this season, and prioritizing Avdija is the best way forward. Out of everyone on the roster, he's the one whose ceiling determines Portland's. If this team wants to make a deep playoff run, they need Avdija to continue building off his first All-Star appearance.
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