LaMarcus Aldridge is now on his 2nd NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs. But rumors speculating around the league that the Spurs are not satisfied with the way Aldridge is playing so far. If LA will not improve his performance, rumors say that he might be traded.
According to FANSIDED, here are the 5 NBA teams that are probable destinations for Aldridge if a trade will be made.
1. Miami Heat
Miami Heat is now in the transition period of their franchise. Dwyane Wade left the Heat to play for the Chicago Bulls. Chris Bosh is probably done playing because of blood clots.
Because of this, Heat's best player as of this moment is Hassan Whiteside.
To stay as playoff contender in the East, they need an All-Star caliber player to carry their franchise. Although Whiteside is a very talented young man who could become an All-Star this year, he still is on the development stage of his career. He still can't carry a franchise on his shoulder.
The Heat needs a player who could make an immediate impact on the basketball floor. If they get Aldridge, they will have an NBA veteran capable of carrying a franchise.
2. Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have been a mediocre team in the past 5 or 6 seasons. Their last playoff run was in the 2009-2010 season. A time when Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire are still running the show.
After Nash left to play for the Los Angeles Lakers after that season and Stoudemire decided to play in New York, Suns miss the playoffs for six straight NBA seasons. They never had a true superstar caliber player.
Entering the 2016-2017 NBA season, there's a high chance that the Suns will not make the playoffs once again. Although they might win more games this season because of the development of young talent in Devin Booker, who won the 3-point shootout last season. But they are still have a long shot in making the playoffs in the Western Conference.
If they will get LaMarcus Aldridge, the Suns will have a talent that they never had since Nash and Stoudemire left the franchise. Getting LA would never guarantee that they will get in the playoffs this season. But they will surely be a playoff contender in 2-3 years.
3. Denver Nuggets
If LaMarcus Aldridge will be traded to the Denver Nuggets, they need to let go of Kenneth Faried.
Kenneth Faried could help well in the Spurs franchise. Spurs never had an athletic and aggressive big men in a few years now. By getting Faried, they will have an energetic guy who could dominate the rebounding department and defense.
On the other hand, if Aldridge will play for the Denver Nuggets, he will team up with Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari is known for his outside shooting despite his having a 6'10 frame. With Gallinari and Aldridge, Nuggets will have an inside-outside big man, which is quite unusual in the NBA nowadays.
If Aldridge will play with the Nuggets, they might make the playoffs this season as the 7th or 8th seed in the West.
4. Boston Celtics
After getting Al Horford in the offseason, Boston Celtics is now considered as one of the NBA powerhouse teams. But despite that, they are still not good enough to win an NBA playoff series against the NBA Champs Cleveland Cavaliers.
By getting Aldridge, they might have that slim hope of betting the Cavs in the playoffs.
The duo of LaMarcus Aldridge and Al Horford would make them as one of the most formidable starting frontcourt partners in the NBA. Mix up with defensive player Avery Bradley, rookie sensation Jaylen Brown and All-Star Isaiah Thomas, they will surely have a chance of beating the NBA Champs.
5. Los Angeles Lakers
Aldridge is also rumored to be traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Paul Millsap. But Los Angeles Lakers would seem to also be an ideal fit.
The Lakers is famous for its basketball greatness through the years. They were considered as one of the most successful franchise in the NBA. But over the past few seasons, they were a lottery bound team.
That's because they failed to attract big time players to play for the team. But over the past 2-3 years, they got young talents such as D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle. With the departure of Kobe Bryant due to retirement, Lakers is now searching for a franchise player that could carry the franchise while the youngsters are still in the developing stage in their career.
Aldridge could become the franchise player that the Lakers are looking for. At age 31, Aldridge could still play at an All-Star level and might have 3-4 years left to be a dominant player. This is already enough time for the young talents like Russell and Clarkson to develop into a franchise player.
If Aldridge will be in a Lakers uniform, the Lakers might win more games. But this is still not enough for them to be a playoff contender this season. Although it will be a good start to attract more big time players to play for one of the world's most famous NBA franchise.
