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In Portland, this is the situation regarding Deni Avdija, who is coming off his first All-Star season with averages of 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 46.2% shooting from the field. As much as he has thrived with the Trail Blazers, they are not in a position to extend his contract after the conclusion of his current deal, which only has two years and $24 million left. "The Blazers are kind of a sinking ship. They are not setting themselves up to preserve the cap space they're gonna need to renegotiate and extend Deni Avdija," said insider Sam Quinn on the 'Third Apron' podcast. "Deni will make $11.875 million in 2027-28. The most he can get in a veteran extension is a 140% Year 1 raise, or $16.625 million. That's MLE money. He's not taking that. To pay him fairly, they'd need cap space to renegotiate and extend him."
Simply put, coming off an injury, Portland expectedly didn’t give him their blessing to play, a similar situation to that of Giannis and the Greek national team, with the Greek Freak also finishing the season injured and missing the qualifiers. As Deni Avdija wrote: “I usually don’t feel the need to explain myself, but this time it’s important to me to say a few words. Anyone who knows me and my way with the Israeli national team knows what this shirt means to me. I came to the team when I was in pain. I came when I wasn’t at 100%. I came during summers when maybe the ‘right’ thing for my personal career was to rest. I came even when I was facing a contract year, a time when any injury could change a career. I never looked for an excuse not to show up. On the contrary. As long as I could wear Israel’s shirt and step onto the court, I was there. This time, I wanted to be there just as much. But this summer I dealt with a complex back injury. An injury that those who haven’t gone through it really can’t understand what it demands, and the decision not to participate in this window wasn’t one I made alone. Portland wasn’t willing to take a risk with my health, and in the situation that arose, I simply didn’t have the option to step up and play.
Deni Avdija: “I understand disappointment. I understand criticism. When you represent a country, and there are expectations of you, that’s part of it, and I accept that. But one thing I’m not willing to have questioned is my commitment to the national team and my country. I don’t need to tell you how much I care. I think I’ve proven it time and again with actions. There’s nothing I want more than to be healthy, get back on the court, and wear Israel’s shirt again. And until then, even when I can’t be on the floor, my heart is there”.
Luckily for him, there's no shortage of wisdom and guidance, as he has plenty of figures willing to help him. That includes 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Damian Lillard and another FIBA star in Deni Avdija, both of which have been teaching him not only about basketball, but in adapting to life being in the league. "As a foreign player coming over, there were a lot of things that were unfamiliar to me. Being in another country, I had to adjust to many things, especially the language and everyday life," he reflected.
El Al features Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija in its first celebrity-backed advertising campaign for the U.S. market. The campaign launched Tuesday and will continue through next spring, featuring digital, print and video ads.
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Matas Buzelis: "To be honest, who I really want to work with is Deni Avdija. I've been talking with him. It's just, I feel like I was shooting too many threes. I need to get to the rim more. I want to know like how he lowers his shoulder, how he attacks. I seen him in Vegas. We're supposed to work out this weekend. He's somebody, Franz Wagner, probably him, KD, of course. That's who everybody needs to work out with, but I think right now Deni Avdija."
Appearing on the "Ball In The Family" podcast, Chicago Bulls star Matas Buzelis recently identified several players he hopes to train with during the offseason. When asked to name his preferred workout partner, the Lithuanian forward brought up Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija. "Who I really want to work with is Deni Avdija. I've been talking with him and I just feel like I was shooting too many threes. I need to get to the rim more. I wanna know how he lowers his shoulder, how he attacks. I've seen him in Vegas, we're supposed to workout this weekend."
Mr. BuckBuck: Ja Morant about what he learned from his new teammates: "They ragebait a lot. They ragebait a lot, for sure. I feel it's just to turn a competitive, you know, edge, to us. Deni (Avdija) definitely number one, but he for sure like ragebait people to try to make you respond, or get you mad, so when we have to play or something, you have an edge already".
“He’s excited to be on a team with vets like Dame and Jrue, and he loves the young talent of Deni (Avdija), Scoot, (Donovan) Clingan, (Toumani) Camara … I mean, he mentioned them all by name,” Nori said. As they left the restaurant, Nori asked Morant what he needed from him. How could he help? “He just said, ‘Make sure I get some Trail Blazers gear as soon as possible so I can start wearing it,’” Nori said.
The Blazers have immediate needs at center and power forward. They are not expected to retain free agent center Robert Williams III, who is hoping to land a contract in the $15 million a year range, leaving only second-year center Yang Hansen as a backup to Donovan Clingan. The Blazers are also thin at power forward, with Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara their only options.
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ESPN's Shams Charania reported Portland acquired Ja Morant via trade from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Portland plans on starting Morant and Damian Lillard in the backcourt alongside Deni Avdija on the wing following "a very unconventional move that the franchise believes has upside."
Trail Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija was not on the table in trade talks for Antetokounmpo, and he remains off the table in Brown discussions as of now, league sources told HoopsHype. Portland’s other young players, such as Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, are considered available. With Boston considering center upgrades and needing to replace Brown’s position if he’s traded, Portland’s Donovan Clingan and 2025 All-Defensive forward Toumani Camara would both be coveted by Boston. However, neither has been put on the table at this time.
The question for Boston with the Blazers will be what type of package they would demand from Portland. The Blazers have plenty of intriguing young talent across their roster but they would certainly want to retain the majority of it to compete in the Western Conference even after a Brown acquisition. All-Star Deni Avdija would not be on the table in any trade talks, league sources tell MassLive and it would be tough for Boston to pry away Donovan Clingan as well. The Blazers do not have strong center depth behind Clingan with Robert Williams set to hit free agency so trading Clingan for Brown would simply create another hole on the roster.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion presented Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija with the "Jerusalem Ambassador in the Diaspora" award during a gala evening, which concluded the "Coming to Jerusalem" real estate fair in Manhattan on Thursday.
