Deni Avdija has become a legitimate All-Star for the Portland Trail Blazers, completely outplaying what is arguably the most team-friendly contract in the association. Eventually, Portland will have to renegotiate and extend its rising star to lock him down long-term as its face of the franchise, but the rapidly rising value of that next deal presents an unexpected financial challenge.
Avdija is owed just $14.4 million this season. He's also on a front-loaded contract, meaning he's on the books for just $11.9 million in the 2027-28 season. While that's currently an ideal situation that allowed Portland flexibility to bring in Jrue Holiday while extending Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara this offseason, it actually complicates things in terms of figuring out the next deal.