According to Yahoo! Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers recently offered a combination of young players and draft picks to the Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge. Obviously, a deal like this makes sense from the Cavs’ perspective, as Aldridge and Kyrie Irving playing together would make Cleveland one of the most intriguing teams in the league. If you believe the rumors and are willing to forget Dan Gilbert’s post-decision freakout, this trade, along with the hiring of Mike Brown, is part of a larger plan to court LeBron James into coming back home next offseason.
Trade rumors are frustrating because they often prove to be bogus, but are useful in the sense that they force one to assess a player’s true value. Though recently success for the Blazers has been irregular, it’s hard to argue that their all-star forward hasn’t been an example of consistent quality.
Dependable would be the word to describe LaMarcus Aldridge’s presence as an elite offensive force last season. Aldridge put up double figure scoring in every game but two, and over 20 points in 42 of the 74 games in which he played. Not surprising, Aldridge has been a 20+ scorer in the majority of his performances throughout the past three seasons. The difference last year, however, was Aldridge’s improved rebounding, an aspect of his game that has been criticized since he entered the league. For the first time in his career, Aldridge had double digit rebounds more often than not, 38 times securing 10 or more.
Aldridge is arguably the highest valued player at the power forward position. Blake Griffin is less polished offensively, gives nothing defensively and struggles from the free throw line. David Lee and Zach Randolph are also defensive liabilities who score less efficiently than Aldridge, yet both do rebound at a higher clip. Dirk Nowitzki is still an elite talent, but at 34 and approaching his 15th season, no doubt entering the twilight of his career. The last remaining star of the Blazers playoff era, Aldridge is the face of the franchise and a perennial all-star.
All this puts the Blazers in a tough position going forward. Aldridge is entering the second to last year of a contract worth over $14.5 million next season and over $15.7 million in ‘14-’15. He’ll be turning 30 the summer he becomes a free agent and will be approaching his 10th year in the league. If Aldridge continues to put up similar numbers over the next two seasons, he’ll probably want a deal worth more money right when he’s likely entering the end of his prime. There’s also the possibility of Damian Lillard usurping Aldridge as the best player on the team. If his rookie year is any indication, this seems like it could happen sooner rather than later. The Blazers would certainly not want to re-sign an aging second option to a large contract.
So what should Portland do? With two years left on a reasonable deal, getting rid of Aldridge this offseason seems premature unless the Blazers get an offer they can’t refuse. The Cavs trade, specifics pending, seems lackluster considering the weakness of this year’s draft may not guarantee an all-star caliber player even with the first overall pick. Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters, two of the other rumored pieces, are high potential guys that the jury is still out on.
With two stars in the starting lineup, and two other very solid young starters in Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, the Blazers have the pieces to win now if the front office can help by bringing in some bench contribution and a defensive minded center. If the team shows significant improvement, the Blazers will re-evaluate the Aldridge situation next offseason and consider the possibility of resigning him. If they continue to wallow in mediocrity, however, Aldridge’s days in Portland are officially numbered, and the front office should try and trade his expiring contract while they still have the chance, while moving forward with Damian Lillard and the young supporting cast.
Impressive numbers don’t necessarily mean you are worthy of having a team built around you, but the Blazers should not jump the gun on getting rid of Aldridge as it’s too early to tell whether he’s incapable of spurring the team toward success. Assuming he’s surrounded by a better overall roster this season (no reason he shouldn’t be), it’s time for Aldridge to step up and prove he’s worth keeping around by leading the Blazers back to the playoffs.
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