Blazers Need 'Another Guy' Next to Deni Avdija

After making his first career All-Star appearance, it's very clear that the Portland Trail Blazers are building around Deni Avdija.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin explained how the team was confident in Avdija's growth and development from his time with the Washington Wizards from 2021-24.

"Deni emerged into an All-Star this year, and really he’s just getting started. He is 25 years old, taking massive steps the last two years with us—but even prior [with the Wizards], he was well on his way to becoming a guy. So, that’s one. We feel we need multiple," Cronin said in an interview with Robert Ohman and Aaron Mesh of the Willamette Week.

Blazers Like Deni Avdija, But Need More

Now that the Blazers have their top option in Avdija, the team needs to put the right pieces around him. There's reason to believe some of those players might already be in the building, but Portland needs to be vigilant on the free agency market this offseason.

Cronin appears to be ready to make more of a push in that area in the future than he has in recent years when the team was rebuilding.

"We haven’t spent much time in the free agent market yet during my tenure. We went young. We just didn’t have a lot of roster spots or cap space to play in the free agency market," Cronin said in his interview with the Willamette Week.

"But I’m confident in our ability in the future to do so. I think what we’re building is a well-respected organization, a team that others will want to play for. We saw it with Dame. I mean, of course he had massive ties to the city and organization already, but he also believed in what we were building. I don’t know if he would’ve come back if he didn’t believe in the roster."

If the Blazers can make the right moves on the open market this summer and next, they could find themselves moving closer to the top and competing with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs for supremacy in the Western Conference.

The Blazers are returning to the basketball court tomorrow when they take on the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT inside Mortgage Matchup Center. Fans can watch the game on the Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.