It’s never too early to speculate on how NBA free agency will unfold.
Apparently.
Ahead of the Dallas Mavericks’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night, Dirk Nowitzki was asked about LaMarcus Aldridge’s free agency. The context of the conversation is unclear, though one must assume he was asked if Aldridge would be a good fit in Dallas or if the Mavs would pursue him at all. Because, obviously.
Here’s how Nowtzki’s response unfolded, per The Dallas Morning News‘ Eddie Sefko:
efore the question was even asked in its entirety, Dirk Nowitzki was ready to tap the brakes.
The subject was Portland star and Seagoville product LaMarcus Aldridge and the possibility that Nowitzki and other Maverick players might want to start their sales pitches to Aldridge as soon as possible. The 6-11 power forward will be one of the NBA’s most attractive free agents in the summer of 2015.
“Ease up on that,” he said.
OK, admittedly, Game No. 5 is a little early to breaking out the speculation for free agents of next summer.
Having said that, Nowitzki made it clear that teaming up with Aldridge would be something compelling to him, even though they play the same position.And yes, even though Aldridge has stated his desire to return to Portland and cement himself as the greatest Blazer of all time.
“I think I’ve showed in my career that I can play with anybody in this league,” Nowitzki said, clearly warming up to the idea. “In some situations, he’s playing the five [center] when they go small, so…”
A round of applause for Nowitzki, please. Seriously, he deserves it. He managed to answer the question and make it clear he would enjoy playing with Aldridge while shirking the tampering charges that could have followed. Good on him.
Aldridge actually joining the Mavericks, meanwhile, is unlikely (re: pipe dream). After the Blazers collected 54 wins last season, Aldridge made it clear he intends to return on a five-year deal. Though the rumor mill was littered with reports of his displeasure during the 2013 offseason, the Blazers’ return to the playoffs and relevancy seems to have secured his loyalty. That they can offer him one year and tens of millions of dollars more than any other team helps too.
Still, the Mavs are one of the teams that could try to pry him away from Portland. They’re poised to enjoy substantial cap space yet again. With Tyson Chandler’s contract coming off the books and the newly efficient Monta Ellis holding a player option, the Mavs should find their salary commitments dip markedly below $50 million. They could have even more room depending on what Raymond Felton and Jameer Nelson do with their player options.
The dollars and cents could get weird, though. If the Mavericks want to bring back Chandler and Ellis, it’ll cost them. Re-signing them still gives the Mavs some flexibility for summer 2016 when the salary cap is expected to explode, but the moves they could make would be of limited significance until then.
Not that it matters. Unless Aldridge has a falling out with the Blazers, he isn’t going anywhere, making a Big Three of Chandler Parsons, Nowitzki and Aldridge himself something of a video-game fantasy.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
