LaMarcus Aldridge – San Antonio Spurs
With LaMarcus Aldridge being in the final season of his contract and the Spurs looking to some of their younger talents for production this season, the Spurs and Aldridge have mutually agreed to part ways. The Spurs have been trying to work out a trade for the veteran big man and whether it be via trade or through a buyout agreement, Aldridge will be on a new team within the next few weeks.
The Miami Heat are a team that has shown a ton of interest in Aldridge and while they would likely rather sign him after he is bought out from his contract, they could potentially look to trade for the veteran big man at the NBA trade deadline.
The addition of LaMarcus Aldridge would definitely be impactful for the Miami Heat, especially since they do not have another reliable big man outside of Bam Adebayo. Kelly Olynyk has been solid for the Heat, but he is not much of a rebounding threat and low-post scoring threat like Aldridge is.
Adding another frontcourt player could be extremely important for the Heat’s chances of success, especially since Jimmy Butler has been forced to play the “power-forward” role at times this season. Getting LaMarcus Aldridge not only allows Butler to move back to the wing, but allows the Heat to be a better, more efficient team overall.
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The Miami Heat’s overall lack of depth in the frontcourt has hurt them tremendously this year as not having Jae Crowder as a consistent option has left a void in the second-unit for this team. As a result, filling this void with a consistent, veteran player like LaMarcus Aldridge makes a lot of sense.
With him being in the final year of his contract, he could aid them in their championship pursuit this season and then the Heat would not be tied down to him long-term, meaning that they could go out and pursue another max-contract player to pair with Butler and Adebayo in free agency next offseason.
While he is not the All-Star player he was earlier in his career, LaMarcus Aldridge can still knock down shots on the offensive end of the court from virtually anywhere and is a player that teams still have to respect. Not only does this open up the court more for guys like Dragic and Butler to drive to the rim, but it allows the Miami Heat’s three-point shooting threats to have more space to run off of screens for open shots.
Whether it is via trade or signing him after he is potentially bought out of his contract, expect the Miami Heat to pursue LaMarcus Aldridge over the course of the next week.
