Wizards trading breakout forward to Blazers for former Sixth Man of the Year, picks

Deni Avdija

The Wizards and Trail Blazers have agreed to a trade that will send forward Deni Avdija to Portland, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

In exchange for Avdija, Washington will receive guard Malcolm Brogdon, the No. 14 overall pick in Wednesday night’s draft, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-rounders, according to Wojnarowski.

The 2029 pick will be the second-most favorable of the three first-rounders Portland controls, per Wojnarowski. Besides their own pick, the Blazers hold the Celtics’ and Bucks’ first-rounders in 2029.

The two second-rounders will be 2028 and 2030 picks, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The 2028 pick will have to be the least favorable of the Wizards’ and Lakers’ second-rounders; the details on the ’30 second-round pick aren’t yet known (Washington controls Phoenix’s second-rounder in addition to its own).

Avdija, who was selected ninth overall in the 2020 draft, has spent his first four NBA seasons in Washington and enjoyed a breakout year in 2023-24. In 75 games (all starts), he established new career highs in points (14.7), rebounds (7.2), and assists (3.8) per contest, as well as FG% (.506) and 3PT% (.374). The performance earned him a sixth-place finish in the Most Improved Player vote.

The 23-year-old is also on a very team-friendly contract for the next several seasons. He signed a four-year, $55M rookie scale extension last offseason that will go into effect in July and will run through the 202728 season. It has a declining structure, starting at about $15.6M and dipping to $11.9M by year four.

While it’s a little surprising to see the retooling Trail Blazers as an aggressive buyer on the trade market, Avdija’s age and contract make him an ideal long-term fit in Portland. The deal will also create some financial flexibility for the Blazers, who projected to be over the first tax apron in 2024-25. As cap expert Yossi Gozlan explains, moving off of Brogdon’s expiring $22.5M salary and the No. 14 pick (which had a cap hold of about $4.5M) will move team salary out of luxury tax territory.

Brogdon has appeared in more than 56 games just once in the past five seasons due to injuries and only played 39 times in 2023-24. However, he remains effective when he’s available, averaging 15.7 PPG, 5.5 APG and 3.8 RPG in 28.7 MPG with a .440/.412/.819 shooting line in his first and only season as a Blazer. The 31-year-old won the Sixth Man of the Year award with Boston in 2023 but was sent to Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade last fall.

Still, it’s safe to assume that the draft pick were the primary motivator for the rebuilding Wizards, who were rumored for much of the spring to be eyeing a third first-round pick. While Avdija would have fit Washington’s timeline too, he was part of the roster that the current front office – led by team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins – inherited, so it seems they weren’t especially attached to him. Winger and Dawkins have reportedly made it a priority to build the new-look Wizards’ roster through the draft.

It’s unclear if the Wizards will keep Brogdon for the 2024-25 season or look to flip him to a new team. The veteran would make a logical trade chip, given his expiring contract and his age, and sources indeed tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he’ll be a candidate to be traded again. But Brogdon could also provide depth and veteran leadership in Washington’s backcourt if the team loses point guard Tyus Jones in free agency.

Due to the poison pill provision, the trade can’t be completed until July, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That means the Blazers will make their pick at No. 14 Thursday night on behalf of the Wizards.

Want more articles like this? Follow Hoops Rumors on MSN to see more of our exclusive NBA content.

More must-reads:

• Five players who will outperform their 2024 NBA Draft results
• Which NBA Draft prospects fit the needs of each lottery team?
• The 'Highest-paid players in the NBA' quiz

Trending slideshow: The greatest NBA sixth men of all time (Provided by Yardbarker)