National Basketball Association

Will LaMarcus Aldridge leave the Portland Trailblazers?

Published Apr. 26, 2015 8:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Jeff Pirtle.

Last night, the Portland Trailblazers fell in game three to the Memphis Grizzlies. The loss marked their third straight resulting in Portland going down 3-0 to Memphis. On the brink of elimination yet again, could Portland’s star forward be considering his options in the free agency?

After all, if the Grizzlies do knock out Portland in the first round it will be the fourth first-round exit in Aldridge’s young career. The only instance in which the Trailblazers made it through the first round was last season, when the team beat the Houston Rockets in six followed by losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round through five games.

As early playoff exits have become a recurring trend for Aldridge and the Portland Trailblazers, the 4 time NBA All-Star will likely consider his options elsewhere. Here we’ll take a look at two top options that LaMarcus will have to consider in free agency this upcoming July.

Los Angeles Lakers

With the Lakers coming off of the worst season in franchise history, the front office will look to make waves through free agency and their top 5 pick in the draft.

Sitting as the fourth most likely team to win the draft lottery with an 11.9 % chance of winning, it’s likely the Lakers will wind up with Emmanuel Mudiay or D’Angelo Russell by the time they’re making a selection. Both are athletic combo guards that could thrive developing their game next to Kobe Bryant and Aldridge next season.

In addition to this draft, the Lakers future is bright for next year’s off-season as well. With the NBA signing a $24 billion broadcast rights agreement, the salary cap is expected to jump $20 million for the 2016-17 season. In addition to the cap increase, the Lakers will have Kobe Bryant’s contract expire next year relieving $25,000,000 in cap space.

This $45 million increase in cap space will allow for the Lakers to pursue top tier talent next off-season around LaMarcus Aldridge and their young talent from the draft. The opportunity to have one of the most successful franchises in NBA history build a team around you rarely presents itself. Although he may not win next season, the long term potential the Lakers can offer LaMarcus may be too much for him to pass up.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs find themselves at a crossroad this off-season when determining whether or not their core group of players can still contend for a title. With only 6 players on their roster having multi-year deals, the Spurs will have plenty of cap space available if they decide it’s time to rebuild.

If they do decide it’s time for a rebuild, one target they should keep their eye on is LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge would be an excellent successor to Tim Duncan, who at 39 years old is likely in his last years as an NBA force. Aldridge would rejuvenate the Spurs offense through prolific post play and a strong rebounding presence.

Aldridge’s addition to San Antonio would give LaMarcus an opportunity to win now under Gregg Popovich, one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time.

As another season with Portland hangs on by one game, LaMarcus Aldridge has a lot to consider going into the off-season. Through 9 seasons with the Trailblazers the team has only gotten out of the first round once. With options like the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers available, no one’s left wondering why LaMarcus Aldridge may think grass is greener on the other side.

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