LaMarcus Aldridge’s coming season has been sounded by sudden NBA trade rumors following word that the San Antonio Spurs are far from impressed with his showing last season. The belief right now is that if Aldridge fails to impress for the second consecutive season, the 31-year-old center-forward could be dealt soon.
The case of Aldridge somehow places him in the same predicament of Greg Monroe of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks initially saw Monroe as a worthy investment after showing credible performances with the Detroit Pistons despite being underpaid.
But as things turned out, the Bucks expected more from Monroe and the end result is seeing his name in the center of NBA trade rumors. At the rate things are going now, he could be joined by Aldridge.
There have been various teams seen as possible trade destinations and the Atlanta Hawks have crashed the party. The scenario could see the Hawks give up Paul Millsap to the Spurs for Aldridge despite seeing the move as a high-risk deal. Millsap is expected to test free agency in the Summer of 2017, meaning it could be a short-term stint in case the Spurs pull the trigger, CSN reported.
Aware of the trade rumors out in the open, Aldridge admits he doesn’t buy into the hearsays and believes that they are something that should not bother him, Sports Yahoo reported. This is despite pitches from NBA minds who believe that he may not finish the 2016-17 NBA season if his level of play doesn’t pick up.
Assuming he does end up in Atlanta, the Hawks could form a lethal frontline with Aldridge and Dwight Howard. The former could do his work from the outside, seeing how he is gifted with an outside shot. He could also work inside when Howard is out, a flexibility that head coach Mike Budenholzer could benefit from.
Did the LaMarcus Aldridge experiment really fail? Analysts weigh in via the video below.