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Revisiting the Wizards-Trail Blazers Deni Avdija trade

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Joshua Valdez | Last updated Apr 7, 2025 4:28 PM ET

Portland Trail Blazers guard Deni Avdija has been on a tear recently, creating a divide among Washington Wizards fans. Some regret trading the 24-year-old for the 2024 No. 14 overall pick (Bub Carrington) and Malcolm Brogdon last off-season, while others are happy with the move.

“I appreciate the recent moves by the Wizards front office, but trading Deni Avdija at age 23 will always be a significant blemish on their record,” @DCSportsBuzz said on social media.

“The Deni Avdija vs. Bub Carrington conversation is pointless to me. No reason not to root for both,” former Wizards journalist Neil Dalal said.”Wizards loved Bub, and Deni was the only asset to get him. Avdija’s bargain contract will near renewal by contention time, and you had to ensure 25/26 FRPs don’t convey to [the New York] Knicks.”

“Don’t know why Wizards fans can’t accept that Deni Avdija is a terrific player while also acknowledging Bub Carrington, who’s only 19, has had a great rookie year,” Bullets Forever’s Greg Finberg said. “Win-win trades are possible. Just look at the [Daniel] Gafford trade. [Dallas] Mavs make Finals with Gaff, Wiz get Kyshawn George.”

Avdija is averaging 26.8 points on 66.4 percent true shooting with 11.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and four turnovers over his last 13 games. The 6-foot-9, 240-pounder has seven 30-plus point games since March 2 and had a 37-point outing in Portland’s 118-113 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday. He also had 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in the team’s 127-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

There’s no doubt that Avdija is better than both Carrington and Brogdon right now. Avdija is averaging 16.9 points on 47.6 percent shooting with 7.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists on the season, while Carrington has 9.6 points on 40.3 percent shooting with 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Additionally, Brogdon (ankle) has 12.7 points on a 43.5 percent clip with 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in just 24 games played.

However, this shows why the trade was a win for both sides.

Wizards, Trail Blazers benefitted from Deni Avdija deal

Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (8) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics forward Xavier Tillman (26) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

As Dalal and Finberg mentioned, Avdija didn’t fit Washington’s timeline. The Wizards’ new regime signed him to a four-year, $55 million rookie contract extension in October 2023, which would’ve expired just before the 2027-28 campaign, when they should start becoming an upper-echelon team in the Eastern Conference.

They will have less salary cap room at that point, as Bilal Coulibaly will hit restricted free agency, while Alex Sarr, George, and now 2025 trade deadline acquisition AJ Johnson all have club options for that season. Additionally, whoever they draft this summer will have that same option for 2028-29.

The NBA salary cap increases annually, but that’s still a lot of players to pay around the same time. The cap is $140.6 million this season and is expected to be $154.6 million for 2025-26, via ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Currently, Washington is $1.5 million under the first apron and $12.3 million under the second with Carrington, Coulibaly, Sarr, and George all on their rookie deals, per Spotrac.

Of course, Brogdon’s $22.5 million salary will be off the books when he hits free agency this summer, while Khris Middleton ($31 million) and Marcus Smart ($20.2 million) will hit free agency in 2026. Ditto for Jordan Poole ($29.7 million) in ’27. Those deals being off the books will open space to sign the young core, but it’ll still be challenging to afford everyone.

Now that the Wizards swapped Avdija for Carrington, they have one less expiring contract in 2027, and they landed a player 4.5 years younger. Getting one season of Brogdon, a former Sixth Man of the Year, was a good bonus for the young locker room due to his knowledge and veteran presence, and they got a 2029 first-round pick as well as second-rounders in ’28 and ’30 to boot.

Additionally, downgrading the team in the short term helped ensure that Washington (17-61) would be bad enough to get the best possible draft lottery odds this summer. Even still, Carrington has shown that he will likely reach Avdija’s level in the future, as he logged 32 points (12-18 FG, 7-10 3 PT) with nine rebounds and seven assists as the primary ballhandler in its 109-97 loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday. He also owns the rookie franchise record for made three-pointers (129) and will likely be an All-Rookie Second Team selection.

Meanwhile, the Blazers got another rising talent to add to their young core of Anfernee Simons (19.3 PPG), Shaedon Sharpe (18.3 PPG), Scoot Henderson (12.7 PPG), Toumani Camara (11.2 PPG), and Donovan Clingan (6.3 PPG), in addition to their lottery pick this summer. Their timeline slightly differs from the Wizards’, as they could become contenders by 2026-27.

It’s tempting to say that one team “won” and the other “got fleeced” in a trade, but fans must accept that both sides can benefit sometimes. Portland and Washington had different agendas, but each organization accomplished what they wanted in this deal.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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