The New York Knicks were hoping to be big players in free agency this summer as they had a ton of cap room and a weak roster. The Knicks were unable to get any of the big names on the market and ended up with Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo among others. New York's biggest target was LaMarcus Aldridge who was expected to meet with the team but reportedly cancelled when he was told the Knicks wanted him to play center. Now it is being reported that part of the reason Aldridge cancelled the meeting was because of the Knicks commitment to Kristaps Porzingis, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Aldridge is and has been a power forward his whole career and he said that he really didn't have much interest in being a full-time center. The 30-year old nine year veteran is a beast on the offensive end but doesn't provide much on the defensive end so guarding centers day in and day out probably wouldn't have been best for him or the Knicks anyway.
Before Aldridge was told about likely having to play center for the Knicks he was reportedly seriously considering coming to New York in part because of a good recruiting job by Carmelo Anthony. Aldridge though, was told that Porzingis was going to be the power forward so the Knicks could allow him to develop.
"They were saying they wanted me to be more of a center to let their guy develop and I just wasn't looking to be that, so I was looking to play power forward, and they weren't really interested," said Aldridge.
Aldridge eventually decided to sign with the San Antonio Spurs where he will be able to play power forward next to Tim Duncan, but said he was seriously considering New York. Aldridge said he understood why the Knicks wanted him to play center but that just wasn't something that he wanted to do.
"If they're going to tell me that I have to play center and I don't want to play center, then of course it's mutual after that. But before that I was excited to meet with them. I was interested, but they wanted to have their draft pick play and I get it," said Aldridge.
While hearing the Knicks had a real chance for the top free agent on the market and missed out might hurt for the fans it might actually be the best thing for all parties involved. Aldridge is in a place where he has a great shot of winning championships for the next few years and the Knicks, despite their refusal to rebuild, will be able to let their 19-year old first round draft pick develop while playing big minutes in NBA games.
