National Basketball Association

Could LaMarcus Aldridge become a Laker?

Published May. 1, 2015 9:20 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Noah Camarena.

With the Portland Trail Blazers now in the same position as the Los Angeles Lakers, out of the playoffs, their focus turns to the offseason and retaining one of their key players who is headed towards free agency, LaMarcus Aldridge.

Aldridge has said in the past that he intends to stay in Portland and was simply waiting to resign when it made more sense financially. However, after a rocky end to the season that saw injuries derail the team and end their season in a first round defeat at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, Aldridge’s future is as big a question mark as it has ever been.

The perennial All- Star power forward recently thanked the Trail Blazers organization for his time with the team and said he hopes to continue the ride with the team that traded for him on draft night back in 2006. That being said, a lot of players’ minds change once they are wooed through free agency, just ask LeBron James about his 2010 decision.

While Aldridge will not be as sought after as James was back in 2010, he is still a high-level player and should receive interest from a range of teams whether they are rebuilding or competing for a championship.

Many teams have been rumoured to be interested in the forward from Texas, including the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers.

If Aldridge decides he does want to leave Portland and join another team that is on the right track towards the Larry O’Brien trophy, he could go home to Texas and join the Spurs who might need someone to hold down the post next year if Tim Duncan decides to retire. Aldridge could help keep the Spurs relevant and competitive for the next decade or so alongside Kawhi Leonard and the brilliant mind of Gregg Popovich.

Aldridge has recently been used to being immersed in a winning culture as the Blazers have had successful seasons in recent years and thus it is hard to imagine Aldridge wanting to give that up and join a young rebuilding team. But, there are a few teams on the market that, while yes they are young and inexperienced, they are also in huge markets where players can build a brand and experience the glitz and glamour of a big city.

New York is probably out of the picture because they have no championship experience on the roster aside from inexperienced coach Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson who proved to be rather incompetent in his first year handling the reins. Carmelo Anthony, while fun to watch score the basket, was not exactly the best teammate for Amare’ Stoudemire and he could have a similar effect on Aldridge if he were to join the Knicks.

With New York out of the picture and San Antonio as the only real threat besides Portland and a potential Cleveland Cavaliers team sans Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge will look to stay on the west coast and join the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have the cap space to add Aldridge as well as someone like Rajon Rondo who is a sure thing to leave the Dallas Mavericks. Aldridge will look at the Lakers and he should completely disregard this most recent disaster of a season because next year’s squad will be revamped and ready to compete. The experience of Kobe Bryant, the return of Julius Randle and a top-five pick in this top-heavy draft should entice Aldridge to join the historic franchise and the addition of a champion point guard in Rondo would only sweeten the deal.

Portland can still offer Aldridge the most money through a longer contract, but if he decides to bolt his current franchise and seek employment elsewhere, the bright lights of Los Angeles will call his name and it will be hard for Aldridge to let that call go to voicemail.

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