Woj: Deni to Portland for 14th pick and Brogdon

[nate33]

Deni with 37, 11, and 5 tonight. Only 1 turnover. This is getting ridiculous.

[doclinkin]

Yeah. I think he wins MIP this year. Allstar next year.

[playoffs]

Deni with 37, 11, and 5 tonight. Only 1 turnover. This is getting ridiculous.

Hilarious ending to the game. Sacramento beats Charlotte, so Portland decides it's time to tank with 3 minutes left and sits Deni and Sharpe

[DukeLecker]

Chances cooper Flagg is better than this deni we’re watching now? Wiz wasted a full season sucking to get a 14% chance on picking a carbon copy of the player they gave away for peanuts.

[Dark Faze]

Chances cooper Flagg is better than this deni we’re watching now? Wiz wasted a full season sucking to get a 14% chance on picking a carbon copy of the player they gave away for peanuts.

I mean if the Deni of the last month is the Deni moving forward then he’s probably better than Cooper’s ceiling or is close to it.

[9 and 20]

You’re absolutely right about Bub’s shortcomings. He needs to get much better at finishing at the basket and drawing contact. No argument there.

But he’s already an above average midrange shooter, an above average rebounder for a PG, a better defender than you give him credit for, and a poised oncourt leader with a very good assist/TO ratio, especially for a 19 yr old who’s being asked to play more minutes than any rookie in the NBA.

Think about it. Many rookies hit a wall about two-thirds of the way through the season. Bub in his 76th game of the season just played 41 mins against a team competing for the playoffs…and scored 19 pts, had 7 assists, and knocked down 5 threes.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Carrington is completely useless. He will stick in the NBA for awhile and has some NBA skills. My issue with Bub is mainly that I don't see much growth in his game. I think he's an average prospect with a low ceiling. I like guards that attack the paint and draw fouls, and are bulldogs defensively (think prime Kyle Lowry). Bub is a game manager that shoots the ball well off the dribble. His archtype is available in the 20's/second round every year IMO. Again, he'll stick because he has a useful nba skillset, but he's not a guy you build around.

Remember Sam Cassell? Kenny Smith? John Stockton? BJ Armstrong? Norm Nixon? Doc Rivers?

I think running with a game manager is fine, provided the team also has a stud athletic scorer.

Sam Cassell or Derrick Harper would be the best case outcomes for Bub I think. Can't see Bub doing the big balls dance. Kyshawn George might do it for him though.

[closg00]

Deni with 37, 11, and 5 tonight. Only 1 turnover. This is getting ridiculous.

This was my thought as-well, I never would have thought that Deni would be this good, I thought he would be a solid role player on a winning team, but never a leading scorer on a team.

[nate33]

Chances cooper Flagg is better than this deni we’re watching now? Wiz wasted a full season sucking to get a 14% chance on picking a carbon copy of the player they gave away for peanuts.

Imagine having both. It would be like our own version of Tatum and Brown: two big, versatile, switch-everything big men who can shoot, pass and rebound. Our lineup into next season would look something like this:

PG Poole/AJ
SG Bilal/Smart
SF Avdija/Middleton
PF Flagg/George
C Sarr/Vukcevic

Depth: Kispert, Bey, #23 FRP, Champagne

I would trade Champagne to NY in exchange for increasing the protection on our 2026 pick we owe, and just go out and try and win with that lineup. The only nod to tanking would be to play Smart and Middleton off the bench. That's probably a 35-win team next year unless Sarr or Bilal makes a quick leap into an above-average starter. Two years from now as Sarr fills out and we find a beefy center to complement him, they're a regular playoff team. And our swap rights with Phoenix in 2026 and 2030 may keep us picking in the lottery.

I'd love to watch a positionless 5-man lineup of Avdija, Middleton, Bilal, Flagg, Sarr.

[nate33]

Chances cooper Flagg is better than this deni we’re watching now? Wiz wasted a full season sucking to get a 14% chance on picking a carbon copy of the player they gave away for peanuts.

I mean if the Deni of the last month is the Deni moving forward then he’s probably better than Cooper’s ceiling or is close to it.

This is not hyperbole. In the last 20 games (since Feb 20), he is posting 23.3 points, 9.7 boards and 5.2 assists in just 33 minutes a game with a TS% of .640. What's interesting is that he is doing it on fairly low usage (26%). He has the type of game that would blend very well alongside another superstar without it being a game of just taking turns on offense.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Chances cooper Flagg is better than this deni we’re watching now? Wiz wasted a full season sucking to get a 14% chance on picking a carbon copy of the player they gave away for peanuts.

Imagine having both. It would be like our own version of Tatum and Brown: two big, versatile, switch-everything big men who can shoot, pass and rebound. Our lineup into next season would look something like this:

PG Poole/AJ
SG Bilal/Smart
SF Avdija/Middleton
PF Flagg/George
C Sarr/Vukcevic

Depth: Kispert, Bey, #23 FRP, Champagne

I would trade Champagne to NY in exchange for increasing the protection on our 2026 pick we owe, and just go out and try and win with that lineup. The only nod to tanking would be to play Smart and Middleton off the bench. That's probably a 35-win team next year unless Sarr or Bilal makes a quick leap into an above-average starter. Two years from now as Sarr fills out and we find a beefy center to complement him, they're a regular playoff team. And our swap rights with Phoenix in 2026 and 2030 may keep us picking in the lottery.

I'd love to watch a positionless 5-man lineup of Avdija, Middleton, Bilal, Flagg, Sarr.

I was going to come in with a "Now close your eyes, and you have both" post. Thanks for saving me some typing, nate.

[closg00]

Oh-well, could the Deni trade be worse than the infamous Chris Webber trade? The Deni trade could go down as the worst in Wizards history.

[Endless Loop]

This is not hyperbole. In the last 20 games (since Feb 20), he is posting 23.3 points, 9.7 boards and 5.2 assists in just 33 minutes a game with a TS% of .640. What's interesting is that he is doing it on fairly low usage (26%). He has the type of game that would blend very well alongside another superstar without it being a game of just taking turns on offense.

But he lacks positional size and length.

[badinage]

Deni with 37, 11, and 5 tonight. Only 1 turnover. This is getting ridiculous.

This was my thought as-well, I never would have thought that Deni would be this good, I thought he would be a solid role player on a winning team, but never a leading scorer on a team.

You never trade away a very young player with great size and quickness, who can pass and defend, who can make plays, and who is on a massive upswing, just discovering how good he can be. Never. Never never never.

That 43 point, 15 rebound game for Washington was no fluke — it was a portent.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Deni with 37, 11, and 5 tonight. Only 1 turnover. This is getting ridiculous.

This was my thought as-well, I never would have thought that Deni would be this good, I thought he would be a solid role player on a winning team, but never a leading scorer on a team.

You never trade away a very young player with great size and quickness, who can pass and defend, who can make plays, and who is on a massive upswing, just discovering how good he can be. Never. Never never never.

That 43 point, 15 rebound game for Washington was no fluke — it was a portent.

Yep. No coincidence Kuzma was out that game...

[dckingsfan]

Deni with 37, 11, and 5 tonight. Only 1 turnover. This is getting ridiculous.

This was my thought as-well, I never would have thought that Deni would be this good, I thought he would be a solid role player on a winning team, but never a leading scorer on a team.

You never trade away a very young player with great size and quickness, who can pass and defend, who can make plays, and who is on a massive upswing, just discovering how good he can be. Never. Never never never.

That 43 point, 15 rebound game for Washington was no fluke — it was a portent.

He isn't "kind of" the best player on the Blazers, he IS the best player on the Blazers. A 34-win team that doesn't have a #1 or #2.

I know VORP isn't the end all be all of statistics as the more you win, the higher the rating. But even with Deni's abysmal start, he is top 50 in the L. WS/48, 69th.

There is a reason that NBA followers outside of the Wiz & Blazers are commenting on his breakout. The second half of his season puts him in the top 25 in the L. I guess that is a #2 option?

[payitforward]

There is no doubt whatever that Deni is playing great basketball & is responsible for most of Portland's improvement this year as the team has gone from 21 to (likely) 36 wins.

That's a 71% improvement which, if matched by the (imagined) Wizards-with-Deni version of our team, would have given us a 26-win season. We would quite likely be the 5th-worst team in the league rather than the 2d-worst as we are now.

Our chances at the top pick would be much lower. Our chances for a top 3 pick would be much lower. We still may not wind up with a top 3 pick, but it would be a whole lot less likely in a scenario where we keep Deni.

Plus, our expectations for the '25-6 season would be for more wins than I'd say is practical as things stand. Hence we'd be likely to pick out of the top 5 in the '26 draft as well. We might endanger protection on our '26 pick as well. & risk losing it.

Of course we might be able to solve that last problem by trading Champagnie to NY for increased protection. Under that scenario

1. We wouldn't have Bub.
2. We'd have a significantly lower 2025 R1 pick.
3. We might not have our 2026 R1 pick or we might have a lower pick.
5. We wouldn't have Champagnie.

Conclusion: keeping Deni did not accord with a thorough rebuild.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Carrington is completely useless. He will stick in the NBA for awhile and has some NBA skills. My issue with Bub is mainly that I don't see much growth in his game. I think he's an average prospect with a low ceiling. I like guards that attack the paint and draw fouls, and are bulldogs defensively (think prime Kyle Lowry). Bub is a game manager that shoots the ball well off the dribble. His archtype is available in the 20's/second round every year IMO. Again, he'll stick because he has a useful nba skillset, but he's not a guy you build around.

Remember Sam Cassell? Kenny Smith? John Stockton? BJ Armstrong? Norm Nixon? Doc Rivers?

I think running with a game manager is fine, provided the team also has a stud athletic scorer.

Sam Cassell or Derrick Harper would be the best case outcomes for Bub I think. Can't see Bub doing the big balls dance. Kyshawn George might do it for him though.

Derek Harper. Yes. Another good one.

Bub can be that type of player or even better with added strength.

[AFM]

Saying that Deni is better than Cooper Flagg, a college kid—this board may have officially jumped the shark right then and there. Whatever weed you guys are smoking, it’s good practice to share some with your friends. Let me get some of that afghani kush reefer bong rips you guys are hitting. Lemme get some of that.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Chances cooper Flagg is better than this deni we’re watching now? Wiz wasted a full season sucking to get a 14% chance on picking a carbon copy of the player they gave away for peanuts.

Imagine having both. It would be like our own version of Tatum and Brown: two big, versatile, switch-everything big men who can shoot, pass and rebound. Our lineup into next season would look something like this:

PG Poole/AJ
SG Bilal/Smart
SF Avdija/Middleton
PF Flagg/George
C Sarr/Vukcevic

Depth: Kispert, Bey, #23 FRP, Champagne

I would trade Champagne to NY in exchange for increasing the protection on our 2026 pick we owe, and just go out and try and win with that lineup. The only nod to tanking would be to play Smart and Middleton off the bench. That's probably a 35-win team next year unless Sarr or Bilal makes a quick leap into an above-average starter. Two years from now as Sarr fills out and we find a beefy center to complement him, they're a regular playoff team. And our swap rights with Phoenix in 2026 and 2030 may keep us picking in the lottery.

I'd love to watch a positionless 5-man lineup of Avdija, Middleton, Bilal, Flagg, Sarr.

Yes, but as doclinkin reiterated, I don't think the Deni of today with Portland would be the same as a Wizard. Avdija blew up only after changing teams, and IMO changing roles and expectations.

Cooper wouldn't be playing alongside a star.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Oh-well, could the Deni trade be worse than the infamous Chris Webber trade? The Deni trade could go down as the worst in Wizards history.

Only if Portland's success with Deni rivals Sacramento's with Webber. I predict Donovan Clingan will become a dominant C. I don't know much about Sharpe or the rest of the Blazers

What's clear is that the Wizards dealt the Trailblazers a foundational piece to what could be a great team.