WASHINGTON, DC - When Deni Avdija steps onto the floor in Washington wearing a Portland Trail Blazers uniform in about two weeks, it will not be just another regular-season game.
Rather, it will be a charged reunion between a player and the franchise where he came of age, and between a fan base and a lingering question: Did the Washington Wizards give up too early on one of the most committed players they had in recent years?
In an exclusive interview with Walla, Tommy Sheppard, the general manager who drafted Avdija, offered a sober, almost restrained look at the NBA decision-making process and the point where basketball ends and management reality begins.
Against the backdrop of Avdija’s breakout season, averaging 26.1 points per game compared with 14.7 in his final year in Washington, Sheppard was asked whether the Wizards made a mistake when they traded him to Portland in the summer of 2024.
“That’s not something I need to judge,” Sheppard didn't rush to answer. “I left, and he was traded a year later. You’d have to ask them if they made a mistake.”
"There are periods when trades don’t happen for basketball reasons," he added, a line that reframed the entire discussion.
It is a simple, almost offhand remark, but one that contains an entire world. Sheppard explained that in the NBA, not every decision is based on immediate on-court contribution. There are salary caps, taxes, accounting considerations, and the need to align with organizational timelines. Sometimes, a player’s move is as much the product of spreadsheets as it is of game film.
From his remarks, a clear picture emerges: Avdija did not leave Washington due to a lack of belief or professional failure. On the contrary, “he would have been fine if he had stayed.” But sometimes, Sheppard added, a change of place creates a change of role, a different opportunity, and a different level of responsibility.
To understand that, one must go back to Avdija’s early years with the Wizards. According to Sheppard, nothing was guaranteed. Minutes were not handed out, and a roster spot was not prewritten. “He had to earn his minutes,” he said. The team itself was young and in the midst of a process, and Avdija entered a situation where expectations were high, but the path was long.
“What always stood out was that he was going to be a very good playmaker,” Sheppard explained. “He's very good with the ball in his hands, very confident, played at a good pace, with a very high basketball IQ. He’s great as a teammate, gets excited about his teammates’ success.
"He loves to win, he loves to play the game. That's what stood out."
Avdija’s first season highlighted the difficulty. An ankle injury limited him to 54 games, and according to Sheppard, that period tested his character.
“When someone can’t play, you see how much they truly love the game. And it drove him crazy.” It was not the frustration of someone looking for shortcuts, Sheppard went on, but of someone who wanted to be on the floor at all costs.
Growing stronger, gaining responsibility
The road wasn't any smoother afterward. Sheppard spoke openly about stretches of missed shots, turnovers, foul trouble, and even moments he himself describes as “dark.”
Yet he emphasized one point repeatedly: Avdija did not cut corners. He did not skip steps. He went through the entire process. At the same time, though, he changed physically and mentally.
“Today he’s a tank,” Sheppard said. “A tank."
Avdija's body grew stronger, his durability improved, but perhaps the most significant shift occurred mentally. There were fewer arguments with referees and greater focus. Less reactivity and more control. The result was more free throws, better pace, and greater overall impact.
Above all, Sheppard points to playmaking. “He’s like an extra point guard on the floor,” he said. “He creates opportunities for others, grabs a rebound, and pushes in a transition. That doesn’t always get enough credit," and in Sheppard's eyes, is one of the qualities that transformed Avdija from a promising player into a truly influential one.
“I think the biggest leap I see by far is that he’s getting to the free-throw line, almost ten attempts a game, and he’s finally made peace with the officials, in most cases. That used to take him out of games. When he was younger, a bad whistle, or what he thought was a bad whistle, would stick with him. Sometimes he’d argue and not get back on defense. Those are things he’s simply grown out of."
So why did it end in Washington? Sheppard doesn't openly criticize his former team, but he does say he was pleased when he learned about the trade to Portland.
“You get an opportunity when you go somewhere new,” he said. He knew the organization Avdija joined well. “I liked the people there, the front office in Portland, the coaching staff. I thought it would fit him."
The fit, according to Sheppard, had less to do with Washington being wrong and more to do with Portland being a younger team, still searching for an identity and looking for players willing to take responsibility. “I thought he’d thrive there, because they’re still young and still searching for talent."
Responsibility is the other central theme in Sheppard’s remarks. He said that at a certain point in Washington, the team made a conscious decision to give Avdija more responsibility to see how he would respond. “We felt it would put him in a position with more responsibility, and he took it."
The move to Portland, Sheppard suggested, only amplified that role.
“The sky’s the limit," Sheppard said when asked about the future, "but the challenge is not falling in love with the view when you reach the top. One strong season does not define a career. One All-Star appearance does not close a path. The ability to keep climbing is the real test."
So did Washington make a mistake? Sheppard did not offer a definitive answer, and he does not believe one is necessary. In his mind, both the franchise and the player can succeed in parallel.
“There’s a great future for the teams and for Deni,” he said.
Between the lines, a clear message emerged: not every separation is an indictment. Sometimes it is simply a junction. According to the man who knew him from the very beginning, Avdija chose to move forward not by fleeing, but by progressing, not by leaping, but by climbing, and the next mountain is already waiting.