Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presentation Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter on June 26, 2014 at 2:29 PM, updated June 26, 2014 at 4:36 PM The Trail Blazers are not expected to be active during Thursday's NBA draft. But that doesn't mean general manager Neil Olshey isn't plotting for the future. Olshey and Blazers owner Paul Allen traveled to Los Angeles last week to present a maximum contract extension proposal to representatives of LaMarcus Aldridge, a team source confirmed to The Oregonian on Thursday. During their trip, Allen and Olshey outlined a plan to lock up Aldridge next summer with a maximum five-year, $108 million extension that could keep the three-time All-Star in Portland through the 2019-20 season. Aldridge, who is entering the last season of a five-year, $65 million contract, will be a free agent next year. The meeting and details of the proposal were first reported by Yahoo Sports. Aldridge, 28, is coming off his happiest and most productive season in Portland. He averaged career highs in points (23.2), rebounds (11.1) and assists (2.6), had a monster postseason and was named to the all-NBA third team. All the while, his leadership and engagement were credited for helping create a cohesive locker room and sparking the Blazers' unexpected rise into an elite team in the Western Conference. Last summer, Aldridge was rumored to be unhappy with the direction of the franchise. But with Olshey rebuilding the roster into a winner and coach Terry Stotts showcasing his best player prominently, Aldridge had a change of heart and expressed a desire to remain in Portland long term. Last week's meeting was the next step in making that happen. Olshey has declined to offer specifics about his plans to pursue Aldridge, but he regularly has expressed a commitment to re-signing the Blazers' centerpiece. Olshey addressed the topic generically just last month, during the team's exit interviews. "The most important thing is everybody, including LaMarcus, knows he's the No. 1 priority in the organization right now," Olshey said at exit interviews. "When that business needs to be handled and the timing is absolutely right, it's clearly a goal of ours to keep LaMarcus here long term. LaMarcus knows that, his agents know that, we're aware of it. I think the biggest thing is that LaMarcus wants to be here and clearly we want him here. That's the challenging part. The economics take care of themselves." Aldridge avoided questions regarding a possible extension during the same exit interviews, but he did offer praise for the direction of the organization when asked to compare 2013-14 to the previous season. "I think the feeling in this city, in this organization, as a whole is just night and day," he said. "Everybody in this city is excited about our growth and what we've grown to this year and how guys are playing and what guys we have here. "Every player in the organization is excited to go to work again. It's not just me, I think this whole city has a different vibe about us." Below is a excerpt of the report from Yahoo Sports:Allen and Olshey met with Wasserman Media Group agents Thad Foucher and Arn Tellem to lay out the max contract extension scenarios available to Aldridge and reaffirm the franchise's desire to secure him for the long term, league sources said. With only a remote chance that Aldridge will agree to the three-year, $55.5 million extension afforded him this summer under the collective bargaining agreement, the Blazers are determined to keep Aldridge on a five-year, $108 million extension that he can sign upon reaching free agency next summer. --Joe Freeman | @BlazerFreeman http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...l_allen_neil_olshey_woo_all-star_lamarcu.html
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta Since the last thread got so horribly off topic I thought we'd start a new one.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta What'd you do, Sly?
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta It was all my fault.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta Started a new thread.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta I heard from a little birdie that he plans signing it!
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta You talking to birds explains a lot.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta And I'm going to echo my heartfelt thanks to the head office for doing this and show my appreciation for LA again. I'm also happy to see the direction of the team overall. Last year was one of my favorite seasons since the last championship. I'm a happy guy. Go Blazers! #12 hangin in the rafters and a HOF nod with a bunch of rings is my wish list for LaMarcus. Loyalty is a clear path. We have a great sports franchise top to bottom and the sky is the limit. Summer league is around the corner snd I think we're all ready for that
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta 108 million over five years still seems like too much money for Aldridge. He's a really, really good player, but I'm worried that as he gets older he'll continue to stray further away from the basket. Obviously, I'll be glad if he stays, but I feel like if we keep the current core together we'll be in cap hell for the foreseeable future with everyone but Nic ready for a new deal.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta His idol in Tim Duncan who's been a Spur his whole career and is just shy of 40 with a championship. LA is the next Tim Duncan and 10 years younger. I think he's world class and a superstar but he's just understated and he likes it that way.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta Mistake, but I'm happy for him. Seems like a genuinely nice man.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta Well, if his idol is Tim Duncan why doesn't he emulate him by taking a pay cut so they can add more pieces to the team?
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta um, Duncan didn't take a paycut when he was 28...he took one at 37-38 after winning multiple championships so you might want to rethink that logic. Duncan had already had max contracts to cushion his future. This is LA's first max deal.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta I am wondering if this is also related to Dallas and their cap space situation. Maybe they are trying to "encourage" The Mavs to use it up this this summer instead of waiting until next. They are really the only team I worry about concerning LMA.
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta So the $65 million dollars Aldridge has collected in just the last five years isn't a big enough cushion?
Re: Paul Allen, Neil Olshey woo All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge with max contract presenta It pales in comparison to what Duncan made before taking a pay cut. Welcome to the big leagues Duncan also sits out games and often plays 22 minutes a game until the playoffs. Different phases career wise. With the CBA This may be LA's only shot at a max deal. Duncan played most of his career before the current cap restrictions. Yeah, all pro athletes are overpaid. Will Barton made a third the money Claver or Freeland made last season. Marcus Camby got 13.3 mil to show up for 7 games and grumble in the lockerroom. These things happen but LaMarcus is our franchise player and the guy stars want to play with.
