The Portland Trail Blazers were initially criticized for their surprising Deni Avdija trade with the Washington Wizards. Now in his second season with Portland, Avdija has ascended to genuine All-Star status. What many deemed to be an overpay in retrospect was an absolute fleece by Portland's front office.
ESPN NBA insiders (Tim Bontemps, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, and Jeremy Woo) recently released their 25 under 25 rankings, which list young NBA stars with the brightest futures. Avdija came in at No. 15, in between San Antonio's Stephon Castle (16) and Detroit's Jalen Duren (14).