By now, everyone knows the Portland Trail Blazers have arguably the best contract in the association thanks to their lopsided Deni Avdija trade. But what's gone overlooked is how team-friendly Damian Lillard's contract is, too.
Next season, Portland will owe Avdija and Lillard a combined $26.5 million. That gives the Blazers a major advantage heading into the first offseason under Tom Dundon.
Blazers' cheap co-stars give them a window of opportunity
That financial flexibility will be a key asset in negotiations. General manager Joe Cronin has won the vast majority of his trades in Portland, largely because he's a firm negotiator. He never forces the issue; that has led to some underwhelming trade deadlines but also to wins that reshaped their entire rebuild, whether it was Lillard, Avdija, or Jrue Holiday.
The Holiday trade was a perfect example of how the Avdija deal benefits Portland. They shipped Anfernee Simons in a one-for-one swap, acquiring the more impactful two-way player because the Boston Celtics looked to duck the apron. In other words, the Blazers didn't pay for this trade in the form of future assets; they paid for it with Holiday's contract (one that he's justified in his first season with the Blazers, by the way).
Ideally, Portland's two highest-paid players wouldn't be Holiday and Jerami Grant. That signals their lack of star power and relatively limited ceiling. But perhaps that's an issue they will finally address this summer. Dundon's arrival and Lillard's return are aligning perfectly for Portland to make a splash, potentially as a facilitator in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
Landing a star becomes much easier when Portland has two co-stars of their own on such reasonable deals. They can actually use the fact that their highest-paid players aren't their most valuable players to their advantage, packaging Grant or Holiday as a salary filler.
How many times have we seen these star trades backfire on a team that sacrifices all its depth to land said player? Take the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant, for instance. The Blazers don't have to worry about that outcome, as they can easily make a deal work financially while maintaining their key assets.
Portland should have an increased sense of urgency given the closing window that comes from Lillard and Avdija's contracts, both of which run through the 2027-28 season (Lillard's with a player option that year). With Avdija in particular, they'll eventually have to renegotiate and extend his contract.
But in the meantime, can Portland capitalize on this financial advantage they have over the rest of the league? This summer presents the best opportunity to do so, making the Blazers a team to closely monitor in the coming months.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Follow