LaMarcus Aldridge was one of the big guys who started from a nobody but established himself as an All-Star player throughout his 10 years in the NBA. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls but was eventually traded to the Portland Trail Blazers where he started his career in 2006.
From there, he began to hone his skills and became one of the go-to-guys of the team. Due to his hard work and outstanding performance, he's been selected several times as an All-Star. But after spending nine seasons with the Trail Blazers he signed to the Spurs last year before 2015-2016 NBA regular season began.
And now, NBA trade rumors are spreading that after one season with the Spurs, the team is not satisfied with his performance and contemplating on trading him if he continues to struggle according to Bleacher Report. Aldridge is averaging only 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game last season, a big dip in his numbers before he left the Trail Blazers.
One columnist also says that Aldridge might not finish his contract with the Spurs after the team's 'experiment' with him did not work as per stated in the report. Some experts also express their concern on Aldridge capability to hold up the defense in the middle now that Tim Duncan is already gone.
One analyst also took notice of Spurs defense when Aldridge is on the floor saying that the Spurs allowed 111.3 points per 100 possessions that look like a league-worst for a team like them. The defensive rating of the Spurs also gone up last year from 95.4 to 98.8 without Duncan and Aldridge is manning the middle.
However, Blazer's Edge reported that the Spurs already denied reports that Aldridge will be traded by the team saying that there are no talks with other teams with regards to Aldridge status. It is also said that the reason behind Aldridge's drop in productivity last season is his unfamiliarity to coach Gregg Popovich system that many analysts have already predicted.
Earlier reports have said that the acquisition of Aldridge last season is part of Spurs plan to prepare the team for the future. And now that Duncan is gone, there's a high expectation to Aldridge to perform well.
Will LaMarcus Aldridge will make his way out of the San Antonio Spurs if he continues to disappoint the team? Stay tuned for the latest NBA trade rumors and update.
