LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers had a great run this season and a trade could be coming in the future after past rumors cropped up last year, as teams like the Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers could be interested and with reports coming out that Aldridge will not be signing a contract extension with the team, he could be traded before the NBA deadline next year.
Aldridge had been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season for Portland, but that was before the team hit their streak of success and made it into the playoffs. That talk started to die down once Aldridge and the Blazers pushed into the top half of the west, but now things are starting to heat up again after the team lost in the playoffs. According to ESPN.com writer Marc Stein, Aldridge could be looking at free agency after next season, as he is set to make $16 million and he may rather hit the market than sign an extension with the team.
Aldridge played very well this season and if he follows things up next year with another strong performance, he could be looking at close to a max contract for his next deal. Things have changed quite a bit over the past year, as Aldridge reportedly wanted a trade last summer and teams like the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers were interested, but that never went down and once the winter rolled along, Aldridge was talking about the possibility of a contract extension. Now that the playoffs are over and the summer free agency period is coming, Aldridge may start thinking more about his future and even if he wants to remain in Portland, his best course of action could be to hit the market.
Aldridge has some things to think about, as Pro Basketball Talk reports that an extension could only give Aldridge so much money based on the CBA and that plays into hitting free agency rather than signing. Based on the salary cap projections for the NBA and the Blazers, Pro Basketball Talk speculates that Aldridge could sign a deal worth $55 million as an extension this summer, but he also could wait and look for a five-year, $127 million contract in 2015 and with Kevin Love also hitting the market that season, he could benefit from signing with the team that misses out on him.
Aldridge is turning 29 years old this summer and he still is in his prime after finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting for the first time this season and that means he could be a hot target come the deadline next season. This year he averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds and if he doesn't sign an extension, many teams will be calling the Blazers during the season to see what they can pull off before the deadline. The Blazers also have to be cognizant of the fact that they have Damian Lillard and will need to lock him up soon as well and he is turning into a star player. The Blaxers had their best season in years and won a playoffs series for the first time since 2000 and they want to keep the core together.