The San Antonio Spurs is splitting from LaMarcus Aldridge for a very simple reason: he is not helping them win basketball games. Spurs has 8.7 points for every 100 possessions worse with him on the floor. He is scoring just 13.7 points per game, the lowest number since his debut season. His 4.5 rebounds per game is the lowest level of his career. At 35, he lost a lot physically to defend himself effectively in space. Most impact metrics paint Aldridge as a negative player at this point in his career.
But one team’s trash is another’s treasure. We have repeatedly seen veterans in decline land on the right candidate and contribute to victory. The Lakers needed Dwight Howard to win the championship last season. Brooklyn expects similar success with Blake Griffin this season. Whether through an exchange or purchase, some team will give Aldridge a chance to change things this season. Here are five viable candidates for doing this.
You knew it was coming. Aldridge and former teammate Damian Lillard have been playing with social media on the subject for some time. Portland is so exhausted from injuries in the attack that Aldridge can play critical minutes until the return of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. There is no more comfortable destination on board for Aldridge. Rodney Hood and his 2021-22 unsecured salary could form the basis for filling the salary. Things get more complicated from there, as Enes Kanter is the next most likely piece to get involved in such a deal, but it is starting for the Blazers with Nurkic out. Aldridge has a cap of $ 24 million this season. Matching that money would not be easy for Blazers.
There is also the issue of adjustment. Aldridge and Carmelo Anthony have very similar shooting profiles. Do Blazers really need two mid-range gunners with inconsistent touch behind the bow? Could their defense support both? The answer to both is probably not. Blazers have greater needs than Aldridge and must direct their salary and withdrawal capital to them. But Anthony’s signature is instructive here. Portland added it in an attempt at pure talent last season and it was worth it. Bringing in another ex-star can have a similar effect if it is used correctly. A purchase would make that meeting more likely, but even if the Spurs insist on an exchange, the Blazers are a team to watch in the Aldridge draw.
The Heat chased Aldridge in 2015, a free agency. They chase almost all the big names that hit the market. The question they need to answer about Aldridge is how important that brand is to them because, at the moment, Kelly Olynyk is playing a very similar role to what Aldridge would have in Miami and what could be a higher level. Olynyk rarely catches the mid-range jumpers with which Aldridge made his living. Few role players in the Heat do. But he has made more than 67% of his overall 2-point attempts this season, and although his 3-point percentage has been somewhat disappointing, he is almost a 37% 3-point shooter in his career. He will be fine on that front. He defends and counters at a higher level than Aldridge now.
Aldridge has the highest roof, and Heat can believe that its infrastructure can help it reach it again. Olynyk is arguably the top player now. Miami needs to decide which one it prefers, because the expiring Olynyk contract would likely form the basis of its bid for Aldridge. A month ago, that could have been an easier decision. The Heat was fighting. Now they are back on track and looking closer to the team that reached the NBA finals last season. Do they want to mess with what they already have for a 35-year-old man who is clearly on the decline? We will find out soon. The Heat has salaries to make an Aldridge work. The question is whether or not they will be motivated.
Boston is on that list for a reason: along with Oklahoma City, it is one of only two teams that can absorb Aldridge at once. The Celtics have a $ 28.5 million trade exception from Gordon Hayward’s sign and exchange with Charlotte, and could theoretically use that exception to bring Aldridge without sending a penny back to Spurs. Considering the problems that other applicants will have to match Aldridge’s high salary, any candidate in that position deserves to be mentioned.
But will the Celtics really chase Aldridge? It is unlikely, at least as a first choice. Boston had a chance to acquire Myles Turner in exchange for Hayward and declined the opportunity. Turner is younger, cheaper and better than Aldridge. This indicates that Boston, even before losing Hayward to the Hornets, was not particularly interested in making him a great man. A great 35-year-old man would be significantly less desirable for a team whose two best players are not yet 25 years old.
Boston will scour the trade market for younger and younger players who make the most sense alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Harrison Barnes and Jerami Grant stand out as targets that Boston is supposed to be interested in. If they become big, someone a little younger like Nikola Vucevic, 30, would make more sense. But Boston is one of the few teams that can acquire Aldridge relatively painlessly. If all else fails, they can see Aldridge as something similar to their Plan G or Plan H if all AF Plans fail.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
We have come to the “buyouts only” part of this list, as the Lakers simply do not have the corresponding salary needed to acquire Aldridge, especially under hard cap restrictions. Rob Pelinka’s interest in strengthening the front line is no secret since Anthony Davis was injured. The Lakers are reportedly interested in Andre Drummond and Hassan Whiteside. They have now signed several 10-day contracts with Damian Jones. DeMarcus Cousins has already been rumored.
Aldridge is not a traditional center like these players, but he could have a different function as a spacer. The Lakers are ranked 25th in a 3-point attempt and 24th in a 3-point percentage. Aldridge hit almost 39 percent on 3 points last season. If he dedicated himself to transforming those inefficient mid-range jumpers by 3 points, he could throw significant minutes on the bench for a Lakers team that struggles to score whenever LeBron James leaves the game. Aldridge met the Lakers twice in 2015 before signing in San Antonio. Spurs, at the time, presented a clearer path to a championship. These roles were reversed in 2021, however, and if winning is Aldridge’s ultimate goal, he will have a hard time finding a better destination than Los Angeles.
Another “acquisitions only” destination, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has always been effusive in his praise for Aldridge. The Golden State was reportedly interested in Blake Griffin before he landed in Brooklyn, and Aldridge could fill a similar role with the Warriors. Golden State’s attack falls off a cliff whenever Stephen Curry leaves the game. Aldridge, in theory, could generate decent pitches for bank units that have been completely unable to do so this season. The fact that he adds an extra touch of general shooting to a list that quietly lacks would be a bonus.
The Warriors have a slight financial advantage over the acquisition field thanks to the average taxpayer exception. The question is whether or not Aldridge worries about the money that comes from three heavy contracts. Is he trying to maximize his earnings? In that case, the Warriors make sense, both in terms of what they can offer him now and how he could potentially inflate his market value into a team that could give him plenty of opportunities. If the goal is purely to win the championship now? The Warriors are probably out of luck.