LaMarcus Aldridge Trade Rumors: Do Portland Trail Blazers Fans Want Team To Pass On Trade For Aldridge?

LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors have caught many NBA analysts off guard. Aldridge signed with the San Antonio Spurs during the last NBA offseason, spurning Portland Trail Blazers fans who had hoped he would play out his entire career with the team. A report from CBS Sports confirms that there is some serious chatter surrounding the Spurs and Aldridge, with some added sources revealing key information.

ESPN analyst Jackie MacMullan may have dropped a bombshell of her own, stating that her sources were revealing that the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge had not gone how the team had hoped. It’s possible that the front office in San Antonio had been dreaming of a championship for Tim Duncan’s last season, which led to the blank check used to sign Aldridge. Now those plans may have become unraveled.

“Sources were telling me the other day that LaMarcus Aldridge may not even finish the year with the Spurs. That experiment hasn’t quite worked out the way they hoped.”

Setting aside whether or not these LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors will actually lead to the San Antonio Spurs dealing the All-Star power forward, there is something interesting taking place in the Pacific Northwest. Many Blazers fans have begun posting on social media that they have no interest in the team re-acquiring Aldridge. This might seem surprising, as Aldridge could fill a hole that the team has at power forward, but it also shows how frustrated fans remain with him.

In the 2014 NBA Playoffs, Damian Lillard came up huge, as the Blazers beat the Houston Rockets in a first-round series. The team then got knocked out of the postseason by the San Antonio Spurs. With high expectations, the Blazers entered the 2015 NBA Playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. The Blazers got knocked out in five games and LaMarcus Aldridge began looking for a new city to play in. While the Portland Trail Blazers tried to re-sign him, Aldridge ended up signing a long-term contract with the Spurs in order to chase a title.

During his first season with the San Antonio Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge averaged 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Those numbers were all down for Aldridge, but so were his minutes per game, as he dipped from 35.4 to 30.6 in that category. It’s worth noting, though, that he shot 51.3 percent from the field and 85.8 percent from the free throw line. Both marks were career-bests for Aldridge, suggesting he could have produced better statistics with more minutes on the court.

Through all the new LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors, there have been no direct links between the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers. Instead, several Eastern Conference teams have been mentioned. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks could both use a player like Aldridge, but it would likely be pretty expensive to acquire him from the Spurs. Still, if the Spurs are intent on dealing the All-Star power forward, then a package could likely get worked out rather quickly.

How does Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard feel his team will do without Aldridge? A report by the Oregonian states that Lillard has a lot of confidence in the Blazers. He had a lot to say that should please fans of the team, especially with the thought that the team could succeed without Aldridge.

“It’s a lot of tough teams in the West. It’s not like, ‘Oh we can go right up in there and it’s going to be easy.’ But I feel like we’re one of the teams that’s right there in the mix.”

While there are likely to be many more LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors, it appears his former fans and teammates have moved on.

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