By now, it's apparent that the Portland Trail Blazers have won the Deni Avdija deal with the Washington Wizards. Portland was able to buy low on a rising star who fit their rebuilding timeline and was on one of the best contracts in the association. That combination is almost unheard of, especially at that price. Looking at what wings like Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane went for, it's clear that Portland should've had to sacrifice more than two first-round picks.
This lopsided trade single-handedly accelerated Portland's rebuilding timeline, as Avdija's All-Star-level season has them right in the playoff mix despite multiple injuries. It also set back the Wizards' rebuild as they continue to look for their new star.
Wizards President Michael Winger said this was all by design, maintaining that the trade was "not a mistake" when asked about it recently.
“No, it was not a mistake. We’re all very happy for Deni. We saw Deni as a very high-level ascending player…but no, we did it for the reasons we said then, which was to take us back a couple of years so we could reset the roster and so that everybody was on the same age curve and Deni’s ahead of that,” Winger said.
Wizards defend the Deni Avdija trade, but nobody's buying it
Same age curve?
Avdija is only 25 years old. He was 23 when the Wizards traded him.
The Wizards just recently acquired a 27 year old Trae Young.
If Washington truly saw Deni's breakout coming, they easily could've held onto him while continuing their rebuild. In fact, he could've helped them rebuild. He's doing precisely that in Portland, emerging as the face of the franchise for a team that desperately needed a go-to star. Now, the Wizards are left searching for that same piece they gave away for pennies on the dollar.
The timing of the deal is the most puzzling aspect of their decision to trade him. Avdija was clearly on an upward ascent, drastically improving his three-point shot from 29.7 to 37.4% his final two seasons in Washington. Their roster was bad enough that they could still position themselves for a top draft pick while holding onto Avdija. The new lottery odds no longer incentivize full-on tanking, as the worst teams have similar chances at the No. 1 overall pick. The Wizards could've held onto their rising Avdija stock and either traded him for a much more significant haul or, better yet, realized their future is better off with him. It seems like everyone, but Winger, realizes that.
Winger was right about one thing: the Avdija deal set their franchise back a couple of years.