The San Antonio Spurs and veteran striker / center LaMarcus Aldridge have mutually agreed that he will not return to the team, coach Gregg Popovich announced Wednesday night.
Spurs are involved on several fronts with potential deals for Aldridge and believe they can find a deal – perhaps even next week – and avoid the need to negotiate a contract purchase, ESPN sources said Adrian Wojnarowski.
If there is no negotiation for Aldridge before the March 25 deadline expires and a purchase contract comes into play, many of the league’s top teams are expressing interest in hiring him as a free agent, the sources said.
Aldridge, 35, an All-Star seven times, has been given permission to “work on some opportunities elsewhere”, although he remains officially on the Spurs’ list for now. He has a contract that is expiring at a salary of $ 24 million.
“He has been a great teammate. No problem,” said Popovich during his availability of virtual media before the game. “We think it is a victory for LaMarcus and the club. When the opportunity arises, it will depend on the management, your agent and that kind of thing, and we will all move on.”
Aldridge lost eight of the Spurs’ final 11 games before the All-Star break due to injuries to his hips and quadriceps. He left the bench in the three games he played during that period, playing as a substitute for the first time since he was a newcomer to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07.
Spurs have won six of the eight games Aldridge missed out on, going into the All-Star range with an 18-14 record. They are in seventh place in the classification of the Western Conference.
Aldridge has averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game this season, shooting 46.4% off the ground and 36% from the 3-point break. His average score and minutes are the lowest since his debut year.
In Aldridge’s last game against Spurs, he scored two points in 15 minutes in the 124-113 overtime loss to Brooklyn Nets on March 1.
“He did everything we asked,” said Popovich. “At this point, we would just like to do something that works for both him and our club, because he deserves it.”
Aldridge averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over five and a half seasons with the Spurs, with whom he signed as a free agency after spending the first nine seasons of his career in Portland.