Everyone seems to be expecting LaMarcus Aldridge to leave the Portland Trailblazers fold, something that the long-time Blazer center-forward has announced as early as May.
Ever since Aldridge made that pronouncement, a lot of rumors and speculations have been tied up with the Blazers big man – including possible teams giving chase.
Among the teams expected to pursue Aldridge are the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers, all resorting to frantic measures to try and woo Aldridge out of Portland and join their team instead.
"He's gone," a source close to Aldridge said. "There's a 99.9 percent chance that he's out of Portland."
Aldridge has been with the Blazers since his entry in 2006 and sources say that he is disappointed at the way the team was being handled. This includes the inability of the Blazers to get good free agents to help their cause to turn out a respectable and better showing.
And with that said, Aldridge is 99.9 percent certain of leaving Portland despite a recent denial by general manager Neil Olshey that Aldridge was practically good as gone.
"I actually asked him how would you like me to address it," Olshey told The Oregonian. "He said, 'Just say it's not true. You and I know where we're at right now.'"
It would always be best to take the word of the people where a situation is brewing but one would have to ask as well on what they are addressing the situation now?
NBA Free Agency is fast approaching and after months of talk on where Aldridge would end up, the claims of Olshey doesn’t really add up. That is, unless, of course, the Blazers have sat down with Aldridge and managed to convince him to stay.
At the rate that news and rumors are coming out however, it doesn’t seem that that the Blazers and Aldridge have doused on those departure rumors.
One has to think, Why would teams like the San Antonio Spurs plan to move some players? Why would some agree to a pay cut to accommodate Aldridge?
One player who is reportedly planning to return with a lower salary is Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, to help the team in their chase for Aldridge.
Ironically, Aldridge is being wooed to eventually succeed Duncan and team up with upstarts like Kawhi Leonard to infuse new blood to an aging lineup.
Aldridge could improve all the more with head coach Gregg Popovich at the helm, a proven motivator who has turned the career of unknown players into bankable stars. Can one imagine the magic Popovich could weave with Aldridge?
The Lakers and the Mavericks are also at the top of the list but at the end of the day, it may all boil down to which team can include Aldridge as a winner and perhaps savor an NBA title.
A lot of that hinges on how these teams are able to restructure themselves in the coming NBA Free Agency period, though the Spurs have proven they can make do with whatever personnel resources they have – the same way they did when they won the title last year at the expense of the Miami Heat.
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