LaMarcus Alridge isn’t worried about being traded from the San Antonio Spurs.
It seems odd that this would need to be a concern at all for him. He’s one year into a four-year deal, and the Spurs, though transitioning away from the Tim Duncan era, haven’t hinted at being ready for a full-tilt reset. Aldridge gives them the best chance, slim though it may be, of subverting the Golden State Warriors now; he is their second superstar, beside Kawhi Leonard, in a league dominated by them. Why move him now?
Well, the notion was floated around over the last couple days after ESPN’s Jack MacMullan spoke on CSNNE’s Early Edition about “some stuff” going on between the Spurs and Aldridge. MacMullan, it must be noted, doesn’t relay fluff, so this was, and is, to be taken seriously. But Aldridge did his damnedest to quell the very notion while appearing on The Jim Rome Show, per the Spurs Zone’s Jeff Garcia:
“I didn’t buy into it. I haven’t heard anything about it. I talked to Pop (head coach Gregg Popovich) daily and he’s always telling me that I’m doing great,” Aldridge said. “Trying to be a more of a leader. He’s put me in positions where I can be more of a leader. As long as the guys here aren’t saying bad things to me. All my teammates have said nothing but great things to me.”
“Yeah for sure I am (happy in San Antonio). We made history last year. They’ve incorporated me into the family. Try to make me one of the big pieces.”
For now, it makes sense to side with Aldridge, while keeping MacMullan’s thoughts on the back burner. The Spurs, again, need Aldridge to compete now. Moving him is something they’re more likely to consider if they implode to start the season or, more likely still, after this year, when decisions could also be made on Pau Gasol’s (player option), Tony Parker’s (free agent in 2018) and Manu Ginobili’s (might retire) futures.
