Deni Avdija's star ascension officially gives the Portland Trail Blazers one of the best contracts in the entire association. However, that's the issue: he's completely outplaying his contract!
Portland is set to pay a potential All-Star just $39.4 million over the next three seasons. They will have to proactively find a way to secure him as part of their long-term core before entering free agency, where the small-market Blazers typically haven't had much success.
One potential hurdle is Avdija's front-loaded contract. What initially appeared to be a positive could complicate extension talks, as the final year's salary is the figure teams use for extensions.