NBA Rumors: Nets Could Acquire LaMarcus Aldridge For Dinwiddie, Allen & Prince, Per ‘Bleacher Report’


Since the dismissal of former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson last month, rumors have been swirling once again regarding the possibility of the team adding a third star to join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. And with the 2020 free-agent class thought to be substantially weaker than usual, the Nets’ best option may be to swing a trade involving some of the younger players in their rotation, including the likes of point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and center Jarrett Allen.

In a list of trade ideas for the Nets that could help them surround Durant and Irving with a third top-tier player, Bleacher Report‘s Greg Swartz suggested a deal that would send Dinwiddie, Allen, and small forward Taurean Prince to the San Antonio Spurs for big man LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Derrick White. As noted, the Spurs (27-36) are expected to start rebuilding, which could point to Aldridge and other veterans on expiring or soon-to-expire contracts getting moved.

“The Spurs need to be proactive and get something for Aldridge while he’s still playing at a high level,” Swartz added.

At the time the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season last month, Aldridge was averaging 18.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in his 14th season in the league. According to Swartz, the Nets could use someone like the seven-time All-Star, who brings vital experience in the postseason, good outside shooting for a big man, and the ability to contribute at both power forward and center positions.

Per Basketball-Reference, White has posted averages of 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Spurs as a reserve combo guard. As explained by Swartz, the 25-year-old could either start alongside Irving at shooting guard or come off the bench as a sixth man if the Nets choose to use DeAndre Jordan as a starting center.

As for the Spurs, Swartz pointed out that Dinwiddie, Allen, and Prince could become important members of the team’s young core, which currently features guards Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV, and Keldon Johnson, and center Jakob Poeltl. He noted that the hypothetical trade would ideally help San Antonio start rebuilding in earnest, though it wasn’t mentioned whether he expects All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan to be part of this process, given the option on his contract for the 2020-21 campaign.

As shown on the Nets’ team page on Basketball-Reference, Dinwiddie was in the middle of a career-high year at the time the NBA paused its operations, with averages of 20.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. Allen and Prince were also scoring in double figures for Brooklyn, playing mostly complementary roles for a team that had a 30-34 record, good for seventh in the Eastern Conference.

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