The San Antonio Spurs and LaMarcus Aldridge have mutually agreed to part ways ahead of the NBA trade deadline. It appears as though his time with the team is rapidly approaching its end.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Spurs have been ‘engaged on several fronts’ in regards to trade scenarios involving LaMarcus Aldridge.
Before the NBA All-Star break, Aldridge appeared in 21 games for the Spurs with 18 being starts. San Antonio opted to move him to a bench role primarily and has been prioritizing the development of their younger options in an effort to build toward the future.
Aldridge has not appeared in the Spurs’ previous two games, similar to the situation Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin faced in similar situations this season. Aldridge will join Drummond as one of the top names available ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
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It could be a challenge for the Spurs to find a trade suitor for Aldridge and receive respectable value in return. Mostly due to the fact that he is earning $24 million this season and matching salary will not be easy for San Antonio to accomplish.
While there isn’t much value that LaMarcus Aldridge provides on the defensive end, he is still a legitimate threat as a stretch-five. He can step out and knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers while being able to take advantage of mismatches in the post.
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A contender could find a trade for Aldridge to be appealing when considering he is playing on expiring contract, as long as they can match salary closely enough. There are some teams who can do that such as the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat being among the top names.
LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, both of which are the lowest marks of his career since his rookie campaign.
