Toumani Camara opens up on heartbreaking moment Suns traded him

Portland Trail Blazers wing Toumani Camara recently had an in-depth interview with a Dutch podcast, X&O's. As you can imagine, with a 90-plus minute interview, several wide-ranging topics were covered, including his journey starting in Brussels, Belgium, to ultimately winding up in Portland, Oregon.

Camara quickly learned the harsh reality of the business side of the NBA, getting traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Trail Blazers roughly a month and a half after being the No. 52 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. In the interview, he opened up about the heartbreaking moment Phoenix foolishly decided to trade him as part of the Deandre Ayton-Jusuf Nurkic swap.

Toumani Camara was stunned when Devin Booker broke the news

The Suns told Camara they wanted to bring him into the training room for measurements and a quick conversation. He found that odd, considering he'd already been with the team for over a month and had completed all his measurements. To his surprise, while waiting for the GM and others to come in, walking in to break the news was none other than Devin Booker.

"Yo, they're sending you to Portland," Booker told him.

"At first, I think it's a joke -- I'm laughing, I'm smirking," Camara said. "But he's like, 'No, I'm serious. They're sending you to Portland. I can't believe it either, but they're sending you to Portland.'"

Reality finally hit Camara. "All of a sudden, I start feeling my eyes tear up. Because I'm like, I've just done all this work to build myself a spot on the team."

Blazers fans should be sending the Suns a thank you card

At the time, Camara was drawing praise from Kevin Durant and Booker, who both didn't want him to leave the Suns. Understandably, he wasn't fond of having to prove himself all over again, especially as a late second-round pick with no guarantee of a long-term roster spot in Portland. But Blazers fans are incredibly thankful that the Ayton trade landed them a second-round gem in Camara.

It's now clear why the Blazers were so adamant about including Camara in the trade. Camara averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals on 46/38/72 shooting splits this season. What initially looked like a throw-in piece has turned Portland's trade into a lopsided win -- and arguably Joe Cronin's best move yet as the Blazers' general manager.

The Blazers landed an All-Defensive player, accelerating their timeline and giving their rebuild a true foundational piece. He's emerged as the Blazers' heart and soul and embodies the versatile, gritty, defensive identity Cronin and Chauncey Billups have been building toward.

Camara continues to expand his offensive arsenal, turning the Suns' decision into a bigger "what if" by the day. At the Rising Stars event, he was asked if he would've had the same impact had he remained in Phoenix.

"For sure," Camara answered. "Because of who I am. I feel like I'm never satisfied where I'm at. I'm always trying to get better in every situation. I feel like the month I spent in Phoenix, a lot of people appreciated my game and stuff like that. I was pretty confident in the space and environment I was in."

Some might believe the shocking trade fueled Camara's rise into the two-way force Blazers fans have come to know and love. But the truth is, he was always built for this. He would've done the same in Phoenix if they hadn't given up on him so quickly -- Portland is just lucky to be the one benefiting.