LaMarcus Aldridge has 2 years left with 29.3 million dollars remaining on his contract- A relative bargain for a player with his capabilities. Coming off of a 21/9 season with a PER over 20, Aldridge has made his claim to be the best power forward in the NBA. There are thoughts (as discussed in a previous post) that Portland should look to deal Aldridge because they do not know if he will extend after next season.
My response is still this: Why trade him now? If Aldridge decides not to resign in the future, we can cross that bridge then. Will his trade value deflate some? Probably, but a team should not trade their best asset (probably is Lillard, but still) in trying to predict his future. If Neil Olshey and Terry Stotts are able to help put a winning team on the court, LA will most likely be persuaded to stay anyways. The big deal proposed in trade talks (Grantland) involves Cleveland and Portland. Bill Simmons floated the idea that Portland might have to think hard about a deal for Aldridge where Portland would receive the #1 pick, #19 pick and Tristan Thompson.
If I were a Cavs fan, would I want this? ABSOLUTELY I WOULD! Pairing Aldridge next to Varejao is a great frontcourt, and they would compliment each other very well. Add in an elite point guard, and an athletic 2 guard and you have a definite playoff contender out East. If the trade went through, which top 7 rotation would you prefer?
Cleveland- Irving, Aldridge, Varejao, Waiters, Zeller, Gee, Speights
New York- Anthony, Stoudemire, Chandler, Smith, Felton, Shumpert, Novak
You'd pick New York right? Here is the silver lining: New York's top 7 listed cost nearly 70 million dollars next year. Cleveland's core 7 would cost around 42 million. For 30 million dollars less you'd have to take the 7 from Cleveland. If the trade went through, you'd have to love it as a Cleveland fan.
Do I want this as a Blazer fan? As I hinted above, I would be very disappointed if this trade went through. Thompson is an improving power forward, but is not on par with LaMarcus Aldridge. Normally, the first pick would be amazing to have, but in this year's draft? Nerlens Noel has potential to be a special defensive player, but he is very raw offensively and is coming off an ACL tear (See: Oden, Bowie, Roy). Ben McLemore is a very good outside shooter, but he does not have the mentality an NBA player should have, and tends to defer too often to teammates. Victor Oladipo will be an all-defensive caliber player, but his offensive game has to be improved upon. Do I take any of these players for Aldridge? No. Especially when you consider the talent available at pick ten will be similar to pick one. Players like Rudy Gobert, Cody Zeller, Alex Len, CJ McCollum, Shabazz Muhammad and Anthony Bennett could all be available at ten, and could all wind up the top player in the draft class. If the same trade had been proposed last year, with a stronger draft class, than I would have had to think much harder. But in a draft class that has a flawed top choice (whomever it may be), I would not recommend trading a multiple time All-Star for the right to choose.
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