Where would Portland be without Deni Avdija?
Many analysts criticized the Deni Avdija trade because they believed that a rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers team needed to remain bad in order to improve their draft lottery odds. But in reality, Portland traded a No. 14 overall pick and another way down the road to land an All-Star-level talent who is a perfect fit for their rebuilding timeline and on arguably the best contract in the entire association.
Portland's lopsided Avdija deal goes to show that rebuilding trajectories aren't as black and white as many make them out to be.