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.”
