When Deni Avdija was drafted No. 9 overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2020 NBA Draft, it was clear that patience would be required.
As a raw prospect coming over from Israel at 19, the forward was viewed as a high upside prospect with plenty to be desire but with a lot of work to do.
Through his first four seasons in the DMV, the wing showed flashes of the reason Washington should remain patient in his development, but instead, the Wizards opted to do what the Wizards do best; make a poor decision.
Opting to trade Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon and draft capital that eventually landed them Bub Carrington, Washington would quickly be forced to deal with the fact that yet another questionable decision would come back to haunt them.
To start his tenure in Portland, Avdija had a bit of an up and down start.
Coming off the bench for most of his first season, the Wizards had yet to realize just how bad of a decision they made.
However, down the stretch of last season, the former top 10 pick began to put it all together and show exactly how dominant he can be when given the keys to the offense.
Fast forward to this season, it's clear that stretch of brilliance for Avdija down the stretch instilled confidence in the forward in which he carries over into the offseason,
Now, Avdija not only looks like one of the top players on the Trail Blazers, but he's emerged as one of the top young prospects in the league.
Through 18 games to start the season, Avdija is averaging 24.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, while shooting 46.9% from field goal range and 37.4% from beyond the arc.
Avdija looks to be a legit candidate for the Most Improved Player of the Year award and although Washington has found bit of a hidden gem in Kyshawm George, the possibility of having Avdija paired alongside Alex Sarr in Washington's frontcourt would have given the team a dynamic pairing.
Instead, the Wizards are forced to watch yet another player emerge into a star elsewhere and wonder what could have been if they only decided to keep them around longer.
Nonetheless, looking at the past when it comes to the decision-making from the Wizards front office, this mistake shouldn't come as a surprise.