The San Antonio Spurs are still looking to trade LaMarcus Aldridge prior to the March 25 deadline, but a buyout agreement seems like the most likely outcome. If and when that happens, Aldridge is expected to draw interest from several contending teams.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers are considered the leading suitors for Aldridge.
Aldridge is on an expiring contract that pays him $24 million this season.
The Celtics are looking to add a big man down the stretch, and Charania says they are also interested in Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins. Adding Collins, who is just 23 and averaging 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, would likely cost a high first-round pick and/or a talented young player.
Aldridge is 35 and clearly on the back end of his career, but he’s still been fairly solid this season with 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He’s a seven-time All-Star who has plenty of postseason experience, so you can understand why playoff-bound teams would want to add him.
The Celtics are 20-18 and have been somewhat of a disappointment this year, but they are not giving up on the idea of making a deep postseason run. Their pursuit of one of the best players in the NBA was evidence of that.
Miami is 21-18 and just ahead of Boston in the Eastern Conference standings. The Trail Blazers are 22-16, which is good for sixth in the Western Conference at the moment.
