The Portland Trail Blazers are starting to build up their young core, and according to a front office executive who spoke with Keith Smith of Spotrac at Summer League, they view Toumani Camara as an extremely important part of it. They want to keep him in Portland for a long time, and extending him is seemingly a top priority.
“It was so important for him and for us that he got some recognition last year,” a Trail Blazers front office executive told Smith. “Toumani is really, really good. We’re hoping to be able to work something out to keep in Portland for a long time.”
Camara is an essential piece of what the Blazers are building.
How does Toumani Camara fit into the Blazers’ plans?
For the Blazers, Camara should be one of their top guys. Maybe not from a scoring standpoint, but in terms of the players who are most important to the organization, he’s certainly close to the top of the list.
Portland made some big-time moves this summer. They brought back Damian Lillard in one of the best reunions in recent memory (though Chris Paul going back to the LA Clippers is up there, too), and they traded for Jrue Holiday.
But while those two guys are certainly going to help them win more games (Lillard starting post-Achilles recovery), their young core should still be the team’s top priority.
Yang Hansen is already a phenomenon, but guys like Donovan Clingan, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Deni Avdija are essential, too. Camara fits in beautifully next to that group.
At just 25 years old, Camara is already one of the best defenders in the NBA, earning his first All-Defensive honors this past season as a member of the 2024-25 All-Defensive Second Team.
It makes perfect sense why the Blazers want to keep Camara around. They are building a well-oiled machine on the defensive end, and it’s no coincidence.
They switched out Anfernee Simons for Holiday this summer in what ended up being a straight-up swap. And though Holiday is much, much older than Simons, he’s also a much, much better defender.
With Holiday, Camara, Clingan, Avdija, and others on board in Portland, the Blazers have set themselves up to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA next season.
It may be hard to compete in the West in the immediate future, but Portland is setting itself up to make a great run at it. And they want Camara with them every step of the way.