Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one before, because I know you have.
LaMarcus Aldridge free-agency rumors are flying off these days. Most recently, he’s been linked to the San Antonio Spurs. Now two executives are telling ESPN New York’s Ian Begley that the All-Star power forward may be interested in the New York Knicks:
LaMarcus Aldridge has said that he wants to re-sign with the Portland Trail Blazers this summer. But as his free agency approaches, that transaction is looking like less and less of a sure thing.
The Oregonian reported earlier this month that one of Aldridge’s teammates thinks there is a “50/50” chance that Aldridge leaves Portland.
To that end, Marc Stein reported on Thursday that the Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs will chase Aldridge in free agency this summer. The Knicks will have at least $25 million in cap space. …
When Aldridge told The Oregonian in July that he wanted to sign a five-year contract to remain in Portland, most league observers assumed that the Knicks had no chance to land Aldridge.
But last month, two opposing executives said the belief in some league circles was that San Antonio and New York would be on Aldridge’s radar and that Aldridge wasn’t as committed to re-signing in Portland as he’d been months earlier.
Speculation like this was always going to ensue. That’s what happens. Even if Aldridge came out for Game 3 of the Portland Trail Blazers’ first-round playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies wearing an “I’m going to re-sign with the Blazers” shirt, rumors would still find a way to creep into the NBA stratosphere. That’s free agency in a nutshell.
But the timing is weird and not at all ideal. Though things aren’t looking good on the playoff front, the Blazers are, in fact, still in the playoffs. They’re down 2-0 and probably on their way to a first-round exit, but their season is still unfolding. Usually these things appear during the regular season before taking a playoff break.
Aldridge’s case seems to be following a totally different route. Not until the playoffs began was he viewed as a legitimate flight risk. All of which is weird. Still, with the Knicks, Spurs, Lakers and Mavericks each set to be financially flexible this summer, his departure is one the Blazers will have to consider. He’ll have to take less money to leave, but it’s still possible.
All financial things being equal, if it comes down to the Knicks and Spurs, as the aforesaid executives posit, it has to be the Spurs…right? They have championship clout. They have a ready-made contender in place. San Antonio’s income taxes aren’t as brutal as New York’s. They have Gregg Popovich.
They have good BBQ joints.
The Knicks, on the other hand, have an extensive rebuild they’re still trying to complete. Aldridge makes sense for them because of his offensive skill set and ability to play alongside Carmelo Anthony and fellow big men (Karl-Anthony Towns, anyone????), but the Knicks, as they currently sit, don’t make a lot of sense for him.
