Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F LaMarcus Aldridge

San Antonio Spurs Receive: C Jusuf Nurkic, G Rodney Hood, POR 2023 1st Round pick (Top-8 Protected)

Trading LaMarcus Aldridge to the Portland Trail Blazers, the team he spent 9 seasons with before joining the Spurs, would definitely be beneficial for the San Antonio Spurs because of the immediate value they receive in this trade. 

LaMarcus Aldridge is now 35-years old and in the final year of his contract, so why not trade him to a team like the Trail Blazers for some younger talents? The Spurs have utilized a lot of their younger talent this year, but they do not have much depth or talent in their frontcourt outside of DeMar DeRozan. As a result, trading for Nurkic and solidifying their center position for the next few years could be extremely important.

While he is in his 7th season in the league, Nurkic is just 26-years old and can be a center the Spurs could build with for many years to come. Because they do not have a true, reliable center, the Spurs have been forced to play small at times with Aldridge as their big man, allowing teams to abuse them on the offensive glass and hammer them in second-chance points.

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With Nurkic though, the Spurs could be a great rebounding team and have a true low-post threat on the offensive-end of the court they could utilize. San Antonio has been notorious for playing through the low-post for years and with talents like DeRozan, Murray, White and Johnson on the perimeter, the Spurs could become a great team that spreads the ball around.

They need that reliable frontcourt player to make this happen though, which is why Jusuf Nurkic from the Trail Blazers could be a great fit for them. LaMarcus Aldridge has been great ever since he joined San Antonio, but they are going to have to move on from him at some point and with him set to become a free agent, it makes a lot of sense to get something out of him now that can be utilized long-term. 

Jusuf Nurkic is a player the Spurs should want to add to their roster and when he is healthy, he could help elevate them to being a solidified playoff team in the Western Conference. This trade should be a no-brainer for the San Antonio Spurs.