Sources: Blazers fear Aldridge free-agent exit
The Portland Trail Blazers traded forward Nicolas Batum on Wednesday amid a growing belief within the organization that LaMarcus Aldridge is poised to leave them in free agency, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com the Blazers have been pressing for more concrete signals from Aldridge’s camp about his plans before the July 1 start of free agency and are increasingly fearful they have little chance of retaining the All-Star big man once he hits the open market.
ESPN.com reported in May that both the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks strongly believe they’ll have a great shot to lure Aldridge back to his home state of Texas next month. But sources said this week that Aldridge is actually thinking more and more about a free-agent jump to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers, sources added, firmly believe they will now be in the Aldridge hunt. As ESPN.com first reported Monday, Lakers officials also continue to try to press the Sacramento Kings to trade them All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins.
The Spurs, sources say, continue to be Aldridge’s most likely destination if he goes through with the idea of leaving the Blazers to start anew. But there is a rising sentiment, sources said, that the Lakers have edged past the Mavericks on Aldridge’s wish list despite the fact he was a high school star in Dallas.
San Antonio is likewise familiar ground to Aldridge after he played collegiately at Texas in nearby Austin.
The Blazers created an additional $4 million of potential salary-cap space by shipping Batum to Charlotte for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh and have been well set up by general manager Neil Olshey to have the flexibility to go in a variety of directions if they need to respond to an Aldridge defection.
Sources say Portland plans to be very aggressive in July in trying to convince star guard Damian Lillard to commit to a five-year max extension in the $120 million range. And, as ESPN.com reported earlier Wednesday, Portland is expected to make its own hard push in free agency for Oregon-reared Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, should Aldridge leave town.
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