The Washington Wizards are trading 23-year-old wing Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon, the No. 14 overall pick, the second-most favorable of their three 2029 first-round picks (originally their own, Boston's and Milwaukee's) and two second-round picks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Avdija is coming off of a breakout campaign for the Wizards. With Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis gone, he was able to move into a higher-usage role and handled his new responsibilities well. He averaged a career-high 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists, and after shooting 31% on 3-pointers in his first three seasons, he improved to 37.4% last season. Avdija is also a strong wing defender, which was a need in Portland considering its No. 23 defensive ranking last season.
Perhaps most importantly in this new, second-apron world the NBA now lives in is the fact that Avdija signed a rookie extension last offseason, which makes him one of the league's best bargains. He will earn roughly $15.6 million next season, basically mid-level extension money, but his salary declines in each of the next three years after that. In the final year of the deal, 2027-28, he will earn roughly $11.9 million, which comes out to 6.33% of the projected cap of that season.
Washington is still in the early stages of a rebuild. Now, with the No. 2 picks and No. 14 selections, they control two lottery picks on Thursday. The 2029 pick, while far off, comes with meaningful upside. They should also be able to flip Brogdon to a win-now team for more assets, so the idea of trading Avdija here is essentially to liquidate a player who is ready to contribute right now in exchange for assets with longer-term value.
Portland is also still in the earlier stages of a rebuild, but the Blazers may trade their best veteran wing, Jerami Grant, in another deal this offseason. That would create a hole at forward that Avdija can now fill in both the short and long term. It's rare to see one rebuilding team send a young player to another, but in this case, it makes sense for both sides.
