Trail Blazers’ star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge just finished his 9th season with the Blazers. He’s been loyal to them throughout his entire career, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he could take his talents elsewhere. After all, the Blazers aren’t winning any championships, and Aldridge is a superstar caliber player who is highly-coveted by many teams.
Lately, rumors have been flying around about Aldridge leaving Portland. The Spurs and Cavs have both been mentioned, and there were also reports that the Celtics were going to try to put together a package deal to acquire Aldridge along with teammate Wesley Matthews. These reports were fueled when Aldridge was spotted in Boston’s Logan Airport.
However, it appears that the Dallas Mavericks are the team most likely to take Aldridge from the Blazers.
From Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report:
Of his potential suitors, league sources indicate that the Mavericks are the biggest threat to pull Aldridge away from the Blazers, but it’s the general idea of returning to Texas, not a specific destination, that appeals to him. Both the Mavericks and Spurs, of course, could have the requisite cap space, reputation of success and location.
Both also may not be perfect fits. Several sources have indicated that the Spurs, for whatever reason, are either off his list or not very high on it. And the question concerning Dallas is: Does an aging Dirk Nowitzki truly give him a better chance of competing for a title? Dallas, sources say, is clearly interested, but where he sits on its priority list is not clear.
Aldridge likely would love to go home to Texas, and if the Spurs have fallen from his list, then Dallas would make the most sense. It certainly makes sense that Aldridge would reconsider going to San Antonio. After all, the team’s core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili can’t last much longer, and brilliant head coach Greg Popovich plans to retire when Duncan does, leaving Kawhi Leonard as just about the only legitimately enticing piece in that system.
Dallas’ core is also somewhat in question, however. Rajon Rondo is all but gone, Monta Ellis could walk in free agency(although landing Aldridge could convince him to stay), and Dirk Nowtizki is decreasing in effectiveness each year. However, Dallas’ future is probably brighter than the Spurs’.
Will Aldridge stay in Portland, his home of 9 years? Will he return to his original home of Texas? Or will he take his talents to a very young team in Boston? It will be interesting to see. Wherever Aldridge winds up, the power forward is sure to make a huge impact.
