5 Reasons the Portland Trail Blazers won the Deni Avdija trade

4. Low-value picks surrendered

Weak 2024 NBA Draft class

It's difficult enough as it is for a prospect selected towards the end of the lottery to pan out, especially considering the prospects available this year in what projects to be a weak class. The Blazers could have gotten someone like Dalton Knecht, who was projected to go to the Hornets at No. 6 by ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony and fell all the way to the Lakers at No. 17.

However, Knecht is 23, the same age as Avdija. It's unlikely he comes into the league with the same level of production as Avdija. The Blazers got a sure-fire starter rather than a relatively unknown draft prospect, whether it was Knecht or someone else.

Likely to be a late 2029 first-round pick

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 2029 first-round pick that the Blazers are trading to the Wizards is the second most favorable of their first-round picks. The Blazers had three first-rounders: their own, Milwaukee's, and Boston's. They acquired the other two picks from the Damian Lillard blockbuster deal and subsequent Jrue Holiday trade.

It's likely the Bucks, with Giannis, and Celtics, with Tatum and Brown, are still both legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference by then. Additionally, the Blazers' core should be much more developed, with the majority of them just entering their prime.

The NBA is so entertaining because it's ever-changing and unpredictable on a yearly basis. Still, it's a good bet that Joe Cronin made that all three of these teams should be playoff contenders at that point, decreasing the pick's trade value as a result.

Recouped second-round picks

Portland had two second-round picks, No. 34 and No. 40, which they both ultimately moved for future second-round picks and cash. They traded No. 34 to the Knicks in exchange for three second-round picks: a 2027 (via Minnesota), a 2029 (least favorable between Indiana and Washington), and a 2030 ( via New York).

They also traded their No. 40 overall pick to the Thunder for the No. 52 pick and cash, then proceeded to flip the No. 52 pick to the Warriors in exchange for more cash. It's a lot of moving parts, but the Blazers did a solid job of getting back their second-round draft capital.