The Portland Trail Blazers have been dealing with rumors involving LaMarcus Aldridge all summer and after reports came out that a deal was discussed with teams like the Chicago Bulls, Timberwolves and Clippers for their franchise stars, many dismissed it as just talk.
Head coach Terry Stotts made some comments about the news, saying to The Columbian that there are many rumors each summer and that even though they don't usually comment, he said that the franchise likes what it has in Aldridge and that they have not decided to move him at all. The Blazers were taking part in the summer league and reports said that Aldridge met with team executives about possible trades, his first choice being the Chicago Bulls.
Stotts said that he expects Aldridge to be with the team next year and that the rumors are unfounded. Aldridge is just 27-years-old and after averaging nearly a double-double last season, he is a player that the team wants to keep around. The rumors had trades explored for other franchise players, including names like Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis, but all those deals were rebuffed according to ESPN.com.
The Blazers have some young talent and they will try to build for the future with Aldridge and Damian Lillard and after averaging 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season, they know he is worth the $30.4 million left on his contract. Last season he showed why he is one of the best players at his position in the league, averaging 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks and another reason he could be on the way out is due to Robinson's numbers of averaged 11.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per 36 minutes, but clearly he does not yet match the talent of the All-Star. The Blazers will be pragmatic this offseason as they evaluate, but a big move could be on the horizon.
Aldridge said earlier this offseason he did not request a trade a now a deal is looking more and more likely as the summer goes on. If he comes back he likely will still have a nice amount of trade value and his career averages of 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks per game will be appealing to any team, it just depends on who will want to pick up the money on his deal and that team also will likely want to re-sign him for the future.
The report says that people from Aldridge's camp met with the Blazers in the Las Vegas to try and get a deal done, but so far teams have rebuffed the offer. The Blazers could hold onto Aldridge until the season begins and then try to deal him and that might be the best course of action as they try to build for the future around Damian Lillard. The team wants players in return for Aldridge rather than draft picks and general manager Neil Olshey knows the type of player Aldridge is and won't just give him up for nothing.