Aldridge Not Thinking About Free Agency
Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge says that he is “fine” with the team’s direction.
The basketball intelligentsia has become particularly adept in recent years at sniffing out All-Star players who might be disgruntled with their lot in NBA life. It was bound to happen after LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and Chris Paul, among others, opted to leave in free agency, (directly or indirectly) threatened to leave in free agency, or exercised their leverage as stars to find a new team that provided a better opportunity to win in the short-term.
Even though he has three full years remaining on a 5-year contract, Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge has found his name creeping onto the list of star players who could seek new digs in the relatively near future. To be clear, the evidence at this point is entirely circumstantial: the Blazers are entering a rebuilding mode with a new coach and new GM, Aldridge has yet to advance in the playoffs, he’s entering his prime without a bonafide No. 2 star alongside him and he plays for a small-market team. Each of those has been a warning light in the recent past.
But Aldridge stuck totally to the script at media day on Monday, acknowledging that it’s a new roster that will require patience while expressing no unhappiness with his role as the main veteran on an incredibly young team.
Loading ...
