In a Friday interview, Brian Windhorst said the Portland Trail Blazers’ deals for Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija stand out among the NBA’s best.
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Portland is off to an 8–3 start after back-to-back home wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Brian Windhorst highlighted the Trail Blazers as one of the early-season pleasant surprises while pointing to what he called some of the league’s best contract value.
On “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,” Windhorst said the Blazers “have a couple of the best contracts in the league,” specifically referring to Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija.
Windhorst said Camara is in the first year of a four-year, $81 million contract and described him as “a four-and-80… [an] elite 3-and-D player.” He added that, while the deal isn’t “cheap,” the performance makes it valuable.
Regarding Avdija, Windhorst said the third year of his four-year, $55 million rookie contract extension signed with Washington in 2023 features $13.1 million this season, dropping to $11.8 million next year. He also described Avdija as an impactful starter and pointed to the contract as “incredible value.”
The report also credited Spotrac with cap-share figures, saying Camara accounts for 11% of Portland’s salary cap while Avdija accounts for 8% this season.
For this season’s production, Avdija is averaging 23 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Camara is averaging 13.1 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 43% from 3-point range, and is tasked nightly with defensive assignments on opposing teams’ top offensive players.
Windhorst also discussed Damian Lillard’s contract, noting that Portland is paying Lillard $13.4 million from the team in the second year of a three-year, $42 million contract signed in 2025 after being stretched and waived by Milwaukee. He said Lillard’s “mid-level exception of $13 million” for his output is “also a very good contract.”
Windhorst cautioned that not every Portland deal is inexpensive, pointing to players including Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday and Ja Morant, and noting that the roster remains expensive even if it includes value deals.
Portland sits fifth in the Western Conference and has an offensive rating of 118.5 (tied for third), a defensive rating of 111.4 (11th) and a plus-7.1 net rating (eighth).
The Blazers are scheduled to play the Kings in Sacramento in an NBA Cup game on Friday.
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