Rumor SPURS TO TRADE LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE TO PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS, DEMAR DEROZAN TO MIAMI HEAT

They condemned that one because they were trying to make a separate trade involving players to make up for the lack of compensation you can give for the coach since players aren't allowed to be included. They implemented a rule that if a coach is traded those two teams are not allowed to make another trade with each other for a year.

 

CBA rules and what the Spurs would actually want aside, here is why I consider what we'd have to give up as gutting the team:

Since Aldridge left, Olshey has tried to find wings that complement the Dame/CJ backcourt. He wasn't able to find a super awesome one but he finally has a couple of quality ones. Assuming Ariza's legal trouble doesn't become something that prevents him from playing (and if it did he'd be untradeable and this whole convo is moot), if Hood is at least somewhat a shell of himself and can provide some minutes off the bench in a secondary role (which I don't think is asking a ton), and if Little develops as I believe he could then to trade those wings for a big would make it extremely difficult (IMO) to balance the roster. We aren't sure if Melo is going to be back. If he is back I think it's very questionable to ask him to play SF the entire season. Playing him at SF while having Aldridge and Nurk as the starting PF and C would lead to more of the same problems not being able to defend the perimeter and 3 point line that plagued us all season. It also leads to Dame and CJ having to expend more energy on the defensive end, which again is fine in limited spurts but probably not wise over the course of a full season. On top of that, since our perimeter defense would be below average it puts more pressure on the bigs to protect the paint and the consequence of that is foul trouble which we saw in just about every bubble game. We know our scheme defensively isn't changing. Trent could probably start at SF if Melo signed elsewhere but then we'd literally have no bench and playing without having lengthy wings in the lineup hasn't been a recipe for success for many teams recently.

Then you factor in how poor this free agency class is for wings and you wonder what we could even get with the MLE? Best case scenario would maybe be bringing back Harkless? If Melo is back and signs for more than the minimum then that eats into how much of the MLE we'd have. So how do you fill out the bench very well? All this to bring someone in whose best position moving forward is probably center.

As much as I hate Aldridge, I'd be fine with a reunion in the 2021 off season when he's a free agent.

 

Aldridge had all the tools to be a top 3 or 4 player in the league.

Problem is that he's a prima dona.

Aldridge has never been motivated by anything except feeling disrespected by the media.

Pop didn't have a chance. And that's not a knock on Pop.

 

It's damn near impossible to land LaMarcus *this* offseason.

But, for the sake of the offseason, let's say it happens.

Dame/CJ/Melo/Aldridge/Nurkic feels WAY too close to the 2014 Brooklyn Nets who added Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Joe Johnson and Deron Williams.

- I get that Dame/CJ/Nurk are better options than JJ and Deron, but it's the Melo/LMA v. KG/Pierce comparisons that scare me. It's already going to be a challenge to play Melo starter's minutes with a smaller backcourt. Add in LaMarcus, who would struggle defending small-ball 4's and our defense might be historically bad.
- Aside from Nurkic, everyone in that theoretical starting lineup needs the ball in their hands to be effective and their primary focus is score-first. There's only one basketball and I don't want a player like Aldridge taking shot attempts away from Dame, CJ, and Nurkic.
- Aldridge and Carmelo aren't known for their passing abilities. I'm not saying either doesn't pass, just they don't necessarily make the right reads. I fear if we roll out that lineup, there's going to be a LOT of standing around. Standing around as Aldridge posts-up. Standing around as Melo posts up. Standing around as Dame/CJ isolate on the perimeter.

To me, we need a floor spacer at the 4 who doesn't need the ball in their hands to be effective. Dame and CJ are already incredibly effective with the ball in their hands, we shouldn't be identifying players who are going to take the ball away, rather ones who will be on the finishing end of a pass. We've seen how impactful Melo and Trent are in catch-and-shoot situations. We know Nurkic has the ability to be a playmaking five, so we'll want to increase his touches on offense to allow him to progress.

TL;DR: It would be a very disappointing offseason if Aldridge was the big pick-up. A 35-year-old Aldridge, in today's era, just doesn't make any sense as a starting 4.

 

I would hope not.

 

I've said it before in multiple posts, but I don't get this notion that Aldridge is going to play primarily along with Nurk. It might start that way for ego's sake, but after about 5 minutes, I'd sub LA or Nurk for Collins and later pair Melo at PF with the one I subbed. Nurk/Melo and LA/Collins is a really good rotation for bigs in my book.

 

In my opinion you would then have your two best back court players that don't really play well together (Dame and CJ) and your two best front court players that don't play well together (Nurk and LMA) obviously this is a fact on defense and more of an opinion on offense. Regardless, that's not an efficient use of the distribution of talent that you choose to have on your roster. I already want to get a better fit next to Dame for CJ or start Gary who is a better fit and then repurpose CJ or trade him for another position of need. I definitely wouldn't make a trade to have another situation like that where the way our two starting posts play together is a complete defensive liability and the way our two starting guards play together is also a complete defensive liability. As I've been saying for a long time to those who talk about staggering CJ and Dame... I hate that shit, it's a waste of talent. So I definitely don't want to double down on that problem.

 

Five minutes is the max I would give LA at PF. If the Blazers were playing a smallish team, that might be too much, but I think LA could pull it off for short stints. If it’s a problem, then Stotts would have to make a change to the starting lineup. The idea of having that much scoring power from your bigs, with no letdown with your second unit, IMO is worth it.

 

I agree with you the LMA could be used at the 4 or 5 depending on specific situation. LMA used to have this mental block that he was a PF, but it seemed as long as he started at the 4, Nate/Stotts could slide him over to the 5 in game and he didn't throw a fit.

If the price is right, I'm all for someone like LMA. The people who would rather hold a grudge than improve the team don't really make sense to me.

 

If he improved the team or we had a way to get him via trade for the right price it would override the grudge, but I don't think that is the case at all.

 

This!

There are sound arguments to be made against trading for Aldridge, but there is no point in making it personal.

 

I agree with you and you're probably correct.

 

I mean, the Aldridge hate does have legitimacy.

The guy bailed on his team in the middle of a playoff series. Guys like that don't often just become winners even if he's saying the right things.

 

Yeah it does!
I watched the dude completely give up. Then just up and leave.
I totally understand the concept of "Making the Team Better" but the idea of losing Collins or Trent or even Little just to get what small amount is left of Aldridge and paying the amount he will command this year is not worth it.
I do however agree with the idea of picking him up on the VERY cheap next year if he wants to come in and play off the bench.
Will he do that?

 

I think @kjironman 1 nails it. Trade value for him? No! Acquire him as next season's Melo? Worth the gamble.

 

A very good source inside the Spurs told me in March of 2015 that LMA was going to San Antonio. I must admit I didn't want to believe that to be true, but he's never passed bad information to me in the past, so that playoff series, the offseason flirtation with Suns, etc., was painful for me to watch unfold. I'm sure the decision wasn't 100% back in March, but I hate to say that I think it was more or less decided before we even got to the playoffs.

Like you, that doesn't sit well with me, but people make mistakes, and I don't think he'd come back to Portland with the same mindset he left us with.

 

I think when Wes tore his achilies it ended. Who knows what Neil told LMA...maybe he said we would not bring Wes back and LMA decided to move on in March.

 

I felt he was gone the season before. I was begging us to take the best offer we could get for him after we beat the rockets.

He was always going to leave as soon as he didn't sign the extension.

 

Looking back i believe you are correct. I had many discussions with people about this. I honestly felt he would eventually sign and stay here. I took him at his word.
Still doesn't sit well with me but in the end the NBA is a business and he had a plan for himself. The point here now however is do they take him back and make another "Business" decision?
On this issue i have absolutely no feelings for Aldridge other than what he can do for the team and how much will he cost? He is and will always simply be a Pawn in a game. No respect at all.

 

No I don't agree with this.

The CBA was setup differently so the extension was sort of worthless... he could only sign for basically half with an extension. They then added the current supermax partly as a result of Aldridge leaving. None of the franchise guys signed extensions back then.

I think Aldridge is just a fickle temperamental guy and what he wants changes on a whim.

The team was a dark horse contender winning its first playoff series in over 15 years... there's no way they could trade him at that moment.