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Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 5:37 am
by elchengue20
He's putting some crazy numbers quite often post All Star break
Last 5 games : 25.2/11.8/5.4
Tonight he had 31/16/8 against Memphis
10 days ago 34/16/6 against GSW
Any word on his development and potential? I haven't seen many Portland games this season
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 5:41 am
by FrodoBaggins
Still surprised Washington gave him up.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 5:54 am
by JRoy
Best Blazer this season and it isn’t close.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 5:56 am
by pipfan
And the Bulls picked/overpaid PWill!
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 6:12 am
by Jimmy Recard
FrodoBaggins wrote:Still surprised Washington gave him up.
I didn’t like the trade at all, but honestly Deni would’ve hurt our tank this year. I’m happy he’s killing it in Portland he’s got a great attitude and I still think he has a ton of upside offensively. Deni/Camara/Clingan is a terrific front court to build with.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 6:51 am
by QMemphis
I wanted the Grizz to trade for him last year. Dude was that good. Most Wizards fans knew he was their best player so I feel for those guys but knew he would continue to get better Deni’s IQ and energy are top level.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 7:51 am
by Exp0sed
Avdija is really good, he needs to fire his agent tho
he's making 15M this season, 14 next season, 13 after that and 12M in 27-28 and he's just 24 so this deal will be through some of his best years. he'd easily fetch 30-35M on the open market if he was a FA this summer. that makes him one of the better value contracts in the NBA. alot of teams are kicking themselves now , Wizards basically traded him (they picked him at #9) for two firsts and a never healthy Brogdon. imagine a team like the Nuggets getting him instead of Portland, on his contract...sheesh
he started the season poorly, got benched by Billups and immeditely started to soar off the bench. Billups put him back in the starting lineup soon after that and he hasn't looked back since
he's not a real #1 or even #2 but imo he's an elite #3. he plays better and more engaged when things run though him more and he's got good chemistry with Camara especially but also Clingan, Sharpe etc.
he's grown to be a very physical player that seeks out contact and he's getting to the line alot too. not a great shooter but good enough to space the floor, has learned to attack closeouts (and deny ball screens) and get to the cup. good defender, great rebounder, good playmaker (albeit turnover prone) - just a very good all around player, team player too. plays hard and plays within the flow of the game and the team
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 8:54 am
by HMFFL
Exp0sed wrote:Avdija is really good, he needs to fire his agent tho
he's making 15M this season, 14 next season, 13 after that and 12M in 27-28 and he's just 24 so this deal will be through some of his best years. he'd easily fetch 30-35M on the open market if he was a FA this summer. that makes him one of the better value contracts in the NBA. alot of teams are kicking themselves now , Wizards basically traded him (they picked him at #9) for two firsts. imagine a team like the Nuggets getting him instead of Portland, on his contract...sheesh
he started the season poorly, got benched by Billups and immeditely started to soar off the bench. Billups put him back in the starting lineup soon after that and he hasn't looked back since
he's not a real #1 or even #2 but imo he's an elite #3. he plays better and more engaged when things run though him more and he's got good chemistry with Camara especially but also Clingan, Sharpe etc.
he's grown to be a very physical player that seeks out contact and he's getting to the line alot too. not a great shooter but good enough to space the floor, has learned to attack closeouts (and deny ball screens) and get to the cup. good defender, great rebounder, good playmaker (albeit turnover prone) - just a very good all around player, team player too. plays hard and plays within the flow of the game and the team
Avdija was paid the contract during his time with Washington. They failed to utilize him properly.
However, as expected, coming to the states took an adjustment, and so did being traded to Portland.
Portland now has the weapon that I have wanted on my team and his friendly contract. I wish him well in Portland.
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Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 11:02 am
by Godymas
Exp0sed wrote:Avdija is really good, he needs to fire his agent tho
he's making 15M this season, 14 next season, 13 after that and 12M in 27-28 and he's just 24 so this deal will be through some of his best years. he'd easily fetch 30-35M on the open market if he was a FA this summer. that makes him one of the better value contracts in the NBA. alot of teams are kicking themselves now , Wizards basically traded him (they picked him at #9) for two firsts. imagine a team like the Nuggets getting him instead of Portland, on his contract...sheesh
he started the season poorly, got benched by Billups and immeditely started to soar off the bench. Billups put him back in the starting lineup soon after that and he hasn't looked back since
he's not a real #1 or even #2 but imo he's an elite #3. he plays better and more engaged when things run though him more and he's got good chemistry with Camara especially but also Clingan, Sharpe etc.
he's grown to be a very physical player that seeks out contact and he's getting to the line alot too. not a great shooter but good enough to space the floor, has learned to attack closeouts (and deny ball screens) and get to the cup. good defender, great rebounder, good playmaker (albeit turnover prone) - just a very good all around player, team player too. plays hard and plays within the flow of the game and the team
As someone that watched Deni many times in Washington, the most frustrating about Deni was his inconsistency. He'd always show flashes of potential but then he'd screw up the most basic layups/open shots and it was always annoying. It was fine when he younger but by year 3 it was getting old. Then, last year he had a stretch right before the All Star where he was averaging something similar, like a 20-5-5 type of performance with a few highlights, and there were talks of "oh is Deni finally breaking out". Then after the break he comes back and is same old Deni, consistent 13-5.
That's the biggest reason for his contract, he always had confidence issues and so he gave in to a solid deal instead of trying a prove it deal.
Let's see if he can hold it up, I've said he's been great for Portland this year, but his star potential is always flashes in the pan. If he can ever find some consistency in his game he could be a real threat though. I'd like to see him do it for a whole season, otherwise Deni "breaking out" is basically an annual tradition at this point.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 11:15 am
by Hangtime84
pipfan wrote:And the Bulls picked/overpaid PWill!
Deni was our rumored guy
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 11:22 am
by Devilanche
Wish my OKC had traded for him.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 11:37 am
by -Luke-
Two Deni Avdija threads on the first page of the General Board. That means he has either done something stupid or is playing very well. I'm glad it's the latter.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 12:44 pm
by Exp0sed
-Luke- wrote:Two Deni Avdija threads on the first page of the General Board. That means he has either done something stupid or is playing very well. I'm glad it's the latter.
Deni has more "and 1's" than any other player in the league since the all-star break...

Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 12:53 pm
by Exp0sed
HMFFL wrote:Exp0sed wrote:Avdija is really good, he needs to fire his agent tho
Avdija was paid the contract during his time with Washington. They failed to utilize him properly.
However, as expected, coming to the states took an adjustment, and so did being traded to Portland.
Portland now has the weapon that I have wanted on my team and his friendly contract. I wish him well in Portland.
Sent from my SM-S928U1 using
RealGM mobile app
i'm aware of his career for the Wizards and that u guys gave him that rookie extention
I think it made sense for both sides, I get why the Wiz traded him as he didn't really fit their timeline and was already good enough to expect another year of growth would hurt their tank. on the other hand he's not the tier of player that's "untouachable" and would also eventually would have wanted to move on, as he's a comptitor whose used to high stakes games. getting drafted by a bottom feeding team, that's just part of the NBA and it's fine for a couple of seasons when ur young but eventually guys like Deni want to compete for something
he was indeed somewhat marginalized by the lack of team spirit and structure within the Wiz during his time there. from that weird season with Westbrook and Beal, and all the Barton type players who just aren't team players. it was rumoured that plenty of teams showed interest in him, perhaps the Wiz should have held out for a little more value because he's worth more than 2 1sts because of his contract. his contract is basically getting a prime level player on a rookie contract, that's about the most sought out commodity role player\glue guy archtype that contenders who are strapped for salary cap would kill for

but i get why they did it and they got a decent return
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 1:26 pm
by durantbird
One of the best contracts in the league
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 1:36 pm
by PlatinumState
He was very inconsistent with the Wiz which is probably the reason they traded him. They didnt see a future star in him and moved on. Im glad he found his groove. If they get Flagg or Harper it was worth it, if not......probably shouldve kept him
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 1:54 pm
by playoffs
Deni's supposed inconsistency with the Wizards is way overblown. Some of it was growing pains but most of it was him having to defer to players with tunnel vision like Kuz and Poole and being yanked after every mistake. He's not a perfect player but he is always very aware and honest about his weaknesses and what he needs to improve on, and he actually works on these things and significantly improves them, e.g., his shooting and especially finishing at the rim which has become his superpower. The main thing he needs to work on now is limiting turnovers, and I would easily bet he improves in that area by next season.
This season he has been very consistent outside of two dips - one is the rough start to the season which is not unusual for a player in a new situation. The second one was for a couple of weeks prior to the all star break he had a wrist injury that hampered his shooting (nearly all of his shots were short). I thought they should've just rested him when he was injured but Chauncey or the medical staff decided he should play for some reason. Other than those two periods, Deni (including his shooting) has been very consistent and easily Portland's best player.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 2:06 pm
by Exp0sed
PlatinumState wrote:He was very inconsistent with the Wiz which is probably the reason they traded him. They didnt see a future star in him and moved on. Im glad he found his groove. If they get Flagg or Harper it was worth it, if not......probably shouldve kept him
I mean, he got to the Wizards as a 19 year old high lottery pick from Israel. that's not an easy transition and it's reasonable to expect a slow learning curve. we saw guys like Lauri and others struggle (specifically with confidence and consistency). I mean, it's typical for young players in general but there's an added factor when there's also a cultrual shock, coming over as a teenager from Europe into a lockeroom full of grown up pro-ball players and a language barrier
he was 23 when they traded him and he was clearly still improving and the Wiz knew that, they also knew he was a good kid and a pro but like u said, they preferred to roll the dice on a player with more upside, cuz they're still looking for their #1 and that's not Deni
and also like u say, if it'll get them a Flagg or a Harper then it'd be worth it but it's worth noting that had they for example, held out for a team who was willing to offer say..3 FRPs and not 2 - they'd have a better shot at hitting the draft jackpot
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 2:32 pm
by Infinite Llamas
Guy had to play with Poole and Kuzma last year. Of course it would be hard for him to find a flow.
Glad he’s in a good situation now. Portland has become one of my favorite teams to watch.
Re: Deni Avdija
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 2:48 pm
by Exp0sed
Infinite Llamas wrote:Guy had to play with Poole and Kuzma last year. Of course it would be hard for him to find a flow.
Glad he’s in a good situation now. Portland has become one of my favorite teams to watch.
not just last year, he's been in Wizards purgatory since being drafted, his entire (short) NBA career.
so not only guys with tunnel vision like Poole, Kuz, Beal,Barton etc. it's also a dysfunctional organization with no direction ever since Leonsis took over. I have no issues with the Wiz, i'm a Euro lol I just think Leonsis has been the worst owner in the NBA. no direction on or off the court.
so yeah, much better situation for Avdija and it shows. really nice team, I like watching them too since they reinvented themselves without the older Vets etc.