Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridg (Photo : REUTERS)
With LaMarcus Aldridge's future in Blazers uniform a toss-up, Portland general manager Neil Olshey has been showing signs that he's open to pull off a sign-and-trade deal involving the All-Star power forward in exchange for another elite big man.
Aldridge, whose contract with the Blazers expired after bowing out to the Memphis Grizzlies in their Western Conference first-round showdown, is expected to hit the market this offseason, becoming this summer's top free-agent target.
After dealing with playoff frustration after another over his nine-year stay in Portland, Aldridge' future with the Blazers has become more uncertain than ever with several NBA executives expecting the crafty big man to bolt out from his current team in hope of winning his first NBA championship elsewhere.
NBA insiders indicated that big market teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks along with the Texas trio of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs are expected to pursue Aldridge.
The Spurs are being mentioned as the favorite to land Aldridge because of the player's Texas connection and the franchise already possesses the right personnel, including budding star Kawhi Leonard, to continue their winning tradition, even after Tim Duncan's retirement.
However, Olshey appears not ready to give up his star big man that easily. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports via Real GM, the Blazers are prepared to pull off a sign-and-trade deal, sending Aldridge to the Clippers in exchange for power forward Blake Griffin - the player picked no.1 overall in 2009 by Olshey himself.
Another trade scenario flying around is a monster sign-and-trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Clippers. The Cavs will have to send Kevin Love to the Blazers for Aldridge. Love, whose free-agency plans remains a mystery up to now, played his high-school basketball with the Lake Oswego Lakers in Oregon.
These reports might be nothing but plain rumors for now, but it also indicates the Blazers top brass' intention to fill the void to be left by Aldridge right away in case he decides to leave. While Lillard has become the major face of the franchise, Portland cannot afford to revert back to rebuilding mode by letting their best big man walk away without taking someone back in return.
