Miami Heat Trade Rumors: LaMarcus Aldridge Trade With Portland Trail Blazers Necessary Now?
Miami Heat trade rumors indicate a deal could be made for LaMarcus Aldridge. In order for the Heat to acquire Aldridge, a sign-and-trade deal with the Portland Trail Blazers may be required. A report from CBS Sports on Thursday, July 2, showcased just how hard it would be for several teams to simply sign Aldridge to a max deal. In order to lure the All-Star power forward, teams like the Heat would have to either get him to take a huge pay cut or work out a trade. It’s how the Phoenix Suns might approach acquiring Aldridge as well.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Dwyane Wade has agreed to a one-year deal worth $20 million with the Heat. Other Heat rumors have the team agreeing to a five-year, $90 million contract with Goran Dragic. With just those contracts alone, the Heat go way over the NBA salary cap for the 2015-16 NBA season. Chris Bosh is slated to make about $22.2 million and Luol Deng is at about $10.2 million, showing just how high the salary numbers could go for the Heat.
This is where the Miami Heat trade rumors start to really become a topic of discussion. It’s very clear that the Portland Trail Blazers would like to re-sign LaMarcus Aldridge, but if that isn’t a possibility any longer, the team would certainly entertain sign-and-trade negotiations. The Blazers don’t want to lose Aldridge for nothing in return, and Miami has some young assets that could be pretty tempting.
Being over the salary cap, the Heat would have to send contracts back to Portland that come close to matching what Aldridge would make. It could include players like Josh McRoberts ($5.5 million), Mario Chalmers ($4.3 million), and Udonis Haslem ($2.9 million) for starters. For taking on that much salary for the 2015-16 NBA season, the Blazers could expect someone like Shabazz Napier ($1.3 million) to be added. A player like Napier could be very helpful to the Blazers as the team tries to rebuild.
A lot still has to happen for this chatter to turn into a realistic option. LaMarcus Aldridge has to decide that he doesn’t want to play for the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, or L.A. Lakers. He seems to have already ruled out the New York Knicks, giving the Heat a real shot. With a core of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Goran Dragic, though, it would make sense for Aldridge to want to go to South Beach. For fans of the Portland Trail Blazers, these Miami Heat trade rumors could be exciting, because it would lessen the blow of losing Aldridge for nothing in free agency.
[Image Source: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
