The Portland Trail Blazers knew what they were doing when they insisted on Toumani Camara’s inclusion in the trade that swapped Jusuf Nurkic for Deandre Ayton as part of the Damian Lillard deal.
As part of a longer piece for The Ringer on 3-and-D wings, Justin Verrier talked a lot about second-year forward Toumani Camara during a season that’s seen him go from defensive-minded as a rookie to a defensive terror as a sophomore.
Toumani Camara, a late second-round pick by the Suns just three months prior, seemed like a mere footnote. Even he thought he was a throw-in, a name on a salary sheet to make the trade math work.