The heartbeat of the Portland Trail Blazers’ defense isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Toumani Camara and the Blazers agreed to a contract extension Sunday, a team source confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive, completing a deal that could keep the defensive stalwart in Portland through the 2029-30 NBA season.
The extension, first reported by ESPN, is a 4-year, $82 million deal that will begin next season.
Camara emerged as a pillar of the Blazers’ multiyear roster rebuild during his second NBA season, when he blossomed into a lockdown defender.
The 6-foot-7, 229-pound forward averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals and earned All-Defensive second team honors during the breakout season. A versatile and imposing defender, Camara has guarded practically every position in the Blazers’ relentless, full-court schemes, helping solidify the team’s identity around defense.
Camara drew an NBA-high 91 offensive fouls last season, including a league-best 31 charges, and ranked ninth in steals (1.5 per game) and loose balls recovered (60). He also showed growth on the other side of the ball, boosting his scoring average nearly four points and improving his three-point shooting nearly 4% (to 37.5%) from his first to second seasons. Along the way, he emerged as a prototypical 3-and-D player.
Coach Chauncey Billups has called Camara, who is originally from Brussels, Belgium, the “heart” of the Blazers’ defense.
General manager Joe Cronin acquired Camara in September 2023 from the Phoenix Suns in the franchise-changing, three-team deal that shipped Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Camara’s inclusion in the multiplayer blockbuster barely registered to Blazers fans, but Cronin had to fight to land the second-round pick of the 2023 NBA draft.
And now, two years and one month later, Camara and the Blazers have cemented their long-term relationship.
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