Toumani Camara Was 'Huge' Focal Point of Suns-Blazers Trade

The Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers fought hard over rookie Toumani Camara.

PHOENIX -- Let's travel back to the 2023 Summer League, where then Phoenix Suns rookie Toumani Camara had impressed the organization after a strong showing of games.

Draft picks aren't exactly synonymous with the Suns as of late thanks to blockbuster trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in the previous months, though Camara was showing promise despite being a second-round pick. 

One anonymous Suns staffer said Camara impressed greatly in Summer League play:

“Toumani (Camara) might be more ready to play than we thought. Once that jumper comes around, we feel like we’ve got a steal on our hands," they told Spotrac. 

Camara didn't last long in Phoenix, however, as he was involved in a massive three-team deal in late September that saw him and Deandre Ayton land in Portland. 

Ayton was the main headliner on that side of the trade (Damian Lillard obviously taking the crown after being shipped to Milwaukee) though there was one big hold up in the process: 

Phoenix wanted to hang on to Camara - and Portland couldn't leave without him.

The Athletic's Jason Quick did a phenomenal piece on the tug-of-war between the two teams on the Dayton product, speaking with individuals on both sides.

“That was one of the hardest parts of the trade,” Suns coach Frank Vogel told Quick.

“Obviously, losing Deandre was big as well, but Toumani … we were high on him as a prospect. And once we got him in our building and saw him play in summer league, we got even more excited about him. But in this league, to get something good, you have to give up something good.”

According to Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Portland general manager Joe Cronin was steadfast on Camara's involvement in the deal, which eventually delayed the finalization of the trade until the two sides agreed.

“Joe [Cronin] was adamant,” Billups said on landing the rookie.

It hasn't taken long for Camara to impress in his new surroundings, as he established himself as a starter after just nine games of coming off the bench. 

found a toumani camara stat that that blew my mind. just shared it on the @trailblazers broadcast pic.twitter.com/C2WJ1a5nQJ

— Mr. Statistician Face Man (@tomhaberstroh) December 20, 2023

The stats aren't exactly flashy for Camara, who is averaging a 7.3/4.8/1.0 line. Portland hasn't exactly been superb either, as their most recent win (over Phoenix, notably) was just their seventh victory of the season. 

Yet Camara has played hard - and most importantly - continues to improve on his already impressive play.

“He has served a great purpose for us,” Billups said to The Athletic. “His head coach really believes in being competitive and playing defense and scrapping out there — and that’s what he does — he shares my spirit that way. 

"I think what I need to do better for him, and with him, going forward is just always letting him guard the best player. Not always the guy bringing it up the floor. So he can learn how to guard everybody, because he is going to be that type of player.”

It was ultimately a move the Suns felt like they needed to make. Even with the benefit of hindsight, Phoenix still would pull the trigger mainly due to Ayton's involvement and the presence of Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen in the desert. 

Yet it's clear the Suns were correct on their initial evaluation of Camara - though the price of doing business feels a bit sour watching their former rookie blossom elsewhere.