Many expected the Portland Trail Blazers to trade Malcolm Brogdon in 2024, but Deni Avdija was never really considered as a trade target. At the time of the deal, many didn't think a rebuilding Blazers team should be trading away valuable draft capital. Portland was a team lacking star power, and giving up lottery picks would limit its chances of landing that missing piece, risking long-term purgatory.
Well, it turns out the critics were wrong, as Avdija has already emerged as the Blazers' face of the franchise in just his second year in Portland.
Blazers' controversial trade has already become a no-brainer
The narrative surrounding this trade has already flipped, as Zach Lowe and Howard Beck recently discussed on The Zach Lowe Show.