LaMarcus Aldridge

Should LaMarcus Aldridge Be In The San Antonio Spurs' Long-Term Plans?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:35 p.m. ET

Fansided, Simon Shortt/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Should the San Antonio Spurs keep LaMarcus Aldridge long term in hopes of winning an NBA championship or trade him in hopes of improving their chances?

Despite the San Antonio Spurs’ overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last Saturday, most would agree they are still considered a tier below the reigning champs and the Golden State Warriors. It’s not a knock on the Spurs by any means, but when you have the lineup Golden State has, or LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, it’s tough to hang.

Over the next two summers San Antonio will look again to free agency to bring in its own stars. With a large number of players in their prime entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in their careers (Blake Griffin, Paul George, Isaiah Thomas and DeMarcus Cousins), R.C. Buford and Gregg Poppovich will have plenty of chances to go out and build their next title contending team.

But for all the optimism, we have to face facts. The Spurs took a hit this summer losing Tim Duncan and missing out on the likes of Kevin Durant and Mike Conley. I’m sure when they re-signed Kawhi Leonard and added LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015, they hoped to do better than Pau Gasol in 2016 to try and keep pace with the conference champions of the last two seasons. Now they are at risk of falling even further behind should they swing and miss yet again in the next year or two.

So what is the backup plan? Looking at the four potential free agents I mentioned before, three of them are frontcourt players (unless we think PG would play some 2-guard next to Leonard). Either way, Aldridge might not be a part of the Spurs’ plans after his contract runs out.

But the team could very well be in his plans since he has a player option for the 2018-19 season. This could really mess the Spurs up cap space-wise in terms of being a true contender. And even though LA still plays at an All-Star level, would you rather have a 33-year-old Aldridge in the playoffs, or a 28 year-old Boogie?

The best course of action for the Spurs would be to look into trading Aldridge after this season for a draft pick in the 12-18 range. This is a very deep draft, and the last time we saw the Spurs trade a valuable asset for a mid-first round pick…well, you know.

Now I can understand why this might be tough to swallow. In 2011 when the Spurs made a similar move, they were trading George Hill, who — albeit talented and a Pop favorite — did not have a true position in the lineup with Tony Parker around. Aldridge however, still has the talent to be a 20-10 guy and absolutely is a major part of this team. But at the end of the day the question is this: Can this team, plus a few late draft picks and “second-tier” free agents, win championships?

The answer is maybe. I’m not going to be one to doubt Pop and Co. while they still have a franchise player. But winning a title is hard (hot take alert!). And each team would like to go into the season thinking more than, “Yeah…we got a shot, I guess”.

Another question is this: Would the team be willing to temporarily take a step back in order to take a bigger step in the future? The answer should be, yes, because this move might not actually set them back for long.

Would there be a move more savvy than the Spurs trading Aldridge at the end of June on draft day, and a few days later ending up with Blake Griffin to take his place? Talk about your two-for-one. Even if they swing and miss on Blake and they get one of those “second-tier” guys I mentioned, which could still mean Paul Millsap, Nerlens Noel or Jrue Holliday. Then you end up with that, two new first-rounders, and shot at one of the top guys the next year.

Even if they miss out on the next two free agencies, the move still opens up cap space for role players, and gives them a lottery-type player right now. With San Antonio’s track record for drafting players, a mid-first rounder in this year’s draft is practically a lock.

Yes the Spurs are a good team. Yes LaMarcus Aldridge is a good player. Yes they have a chance to win the championship this year, and the foreseeable years in the future. But nothing is guaranteed. And as much as it can suck as a team with great chemistry, you always have to be looking ahead. Aldridge probably doesn’t bring a championship to San Antonio without a lot a help, and that is not a gamble the Spurs should be willing to take.