The team's star player will be a free agent this offseason. Could he be on his way out? Aldridge's teammates are concerned.
LaMarcus Aldridge will be a free agent this offseason, and will no doubt be one of the more coveted ones. The belief, though, has always been that he'd be re-signing with Portland. Not only can the team, via the league's Bird Rights rules, pay the most the money and give him an additional year, but Aldridge has always seemed happy in Portland. He's the star player on a perennial playoff team in a great basketball city.
But now, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian, some of Aldridge's teammates are beginning to worry that this season will be his last in Portland.
"Some Blazers players have already said they are worried free agency will take Aldridge away from Portland this summer," writes Quick. "Earlier this month, before a home game, a Blazers player estimated the chances of him returning to Portland at 50-50."
The report comes on the heals of the Blazers' embarrassing 100-86 Game 1 loss Sunday against the Grizzlies, a game in which Portland trailed by 29 points at one point. The Blazers shot just 34 percent from the field. Aldridge, who had 32 points and 14 rebounds but shot just 13-34 from the field, was the only player on the team who appeared ready for the game.
"We got our (behinds) kicked," he said afterwards, later adding" "I think it's a good wakeup call for us."
The fear in Portland now is that Aldridge will no longer feel like he has enough support in Portland. Aldridge did say last July that he was "looking forward to signing the five-year deal (with Portland) when the chance comes.'' But some of his teammates are still concerned.
"One Blazers player cautioned that Aldridge already has enough money," writes Quick." Happiness is what he is truly seeking, and that could be found in being closer to family in Texas."
Why Aldridge would leave Portland
It's really hard to say. Of course, there's the "going home" angle, which we've seen before and which you can never underestimate. Aldridge grew up in Dallas and played college basketball in Austin.
There would have to be some maneuvering for Texas' teams (the Mavericks, Rockets and even the Spurs) to have enough cap space so sign the All Star forward, but it is possible that it could all be figured out. Dallas and Houston are two of the most active teams when it comes to pursuing stars, and both are also very good at creating room under the salary cap. In San Antonio, there's always the chance that Tim Duncan retires and the team decides to go after another star to fill his shoes. All these team would offer Aldridge the chance to play closer to home and do so on a team that can compete. All that could be hard to pass up.
Aldridge may also be looking around at his team and wondering what the roster's ceiling is. Damian Lillard is fantastic, but you can also find holes in his game. He's a shoot-first point guard who hit just 34 percent of his three-pointers this year. Wesley Matthews is excellent when healthy, but who knows how he'll look when he returns to the court next year, if he's even back with Portland. Robin Lopez, Aldridge's interior mate, is a free agent this offseason.
It's also easy to focus on the most recent ugly result. If it holds, it looks like Portland could end up being a hapless first round loser. Perhaps Aldridge already thinks this team's window has closed. If that's the case, you can understand why he'd want to bail.
Why Aldridge wouldn't leave Portland
Aside from the opportunity to play for one of the Texas teams, it's hard to find a reason why Aldridge would leave a strong club like Portland. Teams like the Knicks and Lakers will likely come after him, but they can't offer him the roster that the Blazers can.
Aldridge would also be wise to not make any rash decision based on how Portland does this postseason. The team is depleted right now. The Matthews injury was a major blow, and an injury to replacement Arron Afflalo only made the situation worse. The team that Aldridge is playing with now is not the one he'll be going to battle with next season. We saw at the beginning of the year how good the Blazers can be when fully healthy. If Aldridge takes a step back and looks at the entire picture, chances are he'll realize that staying in Portland provides him the best chance to win.
Also, remember that he can get an extra year and about 20 million if he were to re-sign with Portland. You never want to ignore that.
There's always something special about playing out one's prime years for one team. Not only is Aldridge already familiar with the team's coaching staff and franchise, but he'll become a god in Portland if he sticks around. That's the kind of thing that's hard to turn down.
Likelihood (4/10)
This is the first we're hearing about Aldridge possibly wanting to leave Portland, so it could just be a reaction to a tough Game 1 loss. That being said, as we learned last summer with LeBron, never underestimate the pull of going home. Aldridge will probably still be a Blazer next season, but it wouldn't come as a shock if he ended up being a Maverick or Spur either.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1bkYh2x
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