Portland Trail Blazers and All-Defensive forward Toumani Camara agreed on a four-year, $82 million contract extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on October 19.
Camara has been a key piece as the Blazers rebuild and attempt to take a massive step forward in 2025-26.
Toumani Camara Already One of NBA’s Best Defenders
Camara came over to the Blazers in 2023 as part of the massive Deandre Ayton trade. The Blazers moved Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson for Ayton and Camara. At the time, Camara was an afterthought in most NBA circles.
He quickly established himself as a key defensive player for the Blazers. According to CraftedNBA’s Most Versatile Defenders in the NBA, Camara ranks 36th, signaling he defends well across positions. Bball Index also suggested Camara was among the best defenders in two-year players last season, suggesting he’s one of the best defenders of the entire 2023 draft class.
All of this culminated in an NBA All-Defensive Second Team nod last season. He also finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Camara also improved his overall production last season, seeing most stats jump up significantly. Camara averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals while playing 32.7 minutes per game. He shot 46% from the field and 38% from the three-point line. His offense, especially, will be a point of focus this year.
Camara has said in training camp that he intends to show more of his offensive game, and has hinted that the Blazers are going to play faster with a revamped offensive system.
What’s Next For The Blazers
Portland’s long-term commitment to Camara underscores the franchise’s belief that its defensive foundation is already in place. With the offseason acquisition of Jrue Holiday as a defensive specialist, the 25-year-old forward joins Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe as part of the Blazers’ developing core under head coach Chauncey Billups.
The Blazers struggled to generate stops consistently last season, finishing 16th in defensive rating, per Basketball Reference. Camara’s rise to All-Defensive status gives the team a legitimate wing stopper capable of guarding the NBA’s best scorers every night. With Camara, Jerami Grant and combinations of Donovan Clingan, Yang Hansen and Rob Williams III anchoring the front line, Portland hopes to take a step toward league average on that end while continuing to develop its young offense.
Offensively, the Blazers are banking on Henderson’s growth as a floor general after he returns from a torn hamstring and further development from Deni Avdija, who put together a strong run to end the 2024-25 season to complement Camara’s expanding skill set. The franchise’s emphasis this season will be on consistency — sustaining the defensive intensity Camara embodies while finding balance on offense.
Portland opens the regular season on October 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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