Written by Taylor Odenat
Since LaMarcus Aldridge was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2006 NBA Draft, he’s been a superstar talent and has produced for the Blazers season after season. He’s racked up four All-Star appearances and five playoff appearances, arguably solidifying his position among the greatest in Blazer history. Although he has not contributed to the Blazers winning a championship, Aldridge has led this team to great heights alongside former Blazer Brandon Roy and current Blazer Damian Lillard. Aldridge ranks high among many Trail Blazer career leaders placing fourth in games played, second in field goals made, third in free throws made, first in total rebounds gathered, and third in usage rate. He is also quoted saying: “I want to be the greatest Blazer ever” and so far he’s well on his way in the record books of challenging Clyde Drexler for that spot.
However, LaMarcus may feel that enough is enough. He has a strong desire to win a championship and isn't getting any younger as the seasons progress. He is 29 going on 30 years old in July and wants to win a championship. His teams haven't gotten past the second round and with the constant improvement of the Western Conference, it doesn't seem like they ever will. It’s not to say LaMarcus has been surrounded by incompetent players his whole career in Portland, they just aren't able to compete with the powerhouses of the West for seven games. This past 2014-2015 season showed signs of one that could take the Blazers far in the playoffs. They traded for Arron Afflalo at the trade deadline to improve their bench production, Damian Lillard and LaMarcus were both having all star seasons, and Wesley Matthews participated as well with his 39% shooting from three and 445 threes made in total. However, ‘Iron Man’ Wesley Matthews would tear his left Achilles tendon and miss the rest of the season. Matthews was their rock on offense and defense and was a vital part of the Portland roster. To say that the Blazers would have beaten the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with Wesley healthy might be a bit of a stretch, but they would have put up more of a fight. LaMarcus must be pondering whether or not Portland is the location for him to win a title, even in a season where the Blazers finish fourth in the West; they couldn’t advance past the first round.
To ratify the multiple seasons of not making it past the second round of the playoffs, LaMarcus can choose to take advantage of his unrestricted free agency and search for an opportunity where winning a title is more feasible. On the other hand, LaMarcus can choose to stay in Portland and trust that the organization will continue to improve and eventually put a championship contending roster around him. They went from a lottery team back in the 2011-2012 season to a team top 5 in the Western Conference in the last two seasons, so the Blazers must be doing something right. LaMarcus will definitely have plenty of options to choose from if he decides to test the free agency waters. The San Antonio Spurs are interested in his services and so will the rest of the league looking for a post-playing, floor spacing big man. If LaMarcus leaves Portland he will join the pool of NBA players that have left the cities they played a majority if not their whole careers in. Kevin Love from Minnesota to Cleveland, Carmelo Anthony from Denver to NY a few seasons ago, and Dwight Howard from Orlando to L.A then Houston. These players are hated by fans of their original teams and Aldridge has the potential to join them. However, Aldridge has to do what is best for his financial future and what is best for his future of winning a championship and Portland may not be the place for him in the long run.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aldrila01.html, http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12430843/wesley-matthews-portland-trail-blazers-injures-left-foot, http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/leaders_career.html
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