The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t just make a good trade when they acquired Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards - they might’ve pulled off one of the savviest moves of this rebuilding era. In a league where versatile wings are at a premium and cost a fortune, Portland managed to land a 25-year-old ascending star on a team-friendly contract for just two first-round picks. That’s not just value - that’s a heist.
Avdija has blossomed in Portland, playing at an All-Star level and injecting life into a team that was expected to spend this season developing young talent and looking toward the lottery. Instead, they’re in the playoff conversation, even while dealing with a string of injuries. His impact has been that significant - not just as a scorer or shooter, but as a two-way presence who gives the Blazers a foundational piece to build around.
Meanwhile, the Wizards are still trying to figure out who their foundational piece is. And the one guy who looked like he could’ve been that - they traded away.
Washington’s front office, led by President Michael Winger, has stood by the decision. Winger recently defended the trade, saying it was part of a broader strategy to reset the roster and align the team’s core around a similar developmental timeline. According to him, Avdija was simply ahead of that curve.
“No, it was not a mistake,” Winger said. “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.”
But here’s the thing: Avdija was just 23 when they traded him. He’s 25 now.
That’s not exactly outside the window of a rebuild - that is the window. Especially when you consider Washington recently added 27-year-old Trae Young.
If the goal was to build a young core, Avdija fit that mold perfectly. And more importantly, he was already turning the corner into stardom.
The timing of the deal is what continues to raise eyebrows. Avdija was clearly trending upward, especially with his shooting.
He bumped his three-point percentage from 29.7% to 37.4% over his final two seasons in D.C. That’s not just improvement - that’s transformation.
And on a team that wasn’t going anywhere fast, there was no need to rush a decision. The Wizards could’ve kept him, continued to develop their young roster, and still been in the mix for a top draft pick.
With the new lottery odds flattening out, there’s no longer a massive incentive to bottom out completely.
Instead, Washington sold low on a player who’s now looking like the kind of two-way wing every team dreams of. He’s doing in Portland exactly what the Wizards hoped someone would eventually do for them - take over as the face of the franchise.
To Winger’s credit, he was right about one thing: the Avdija deal did set the Wizards back a couple of years. Just not in the way he intended.