On the eve of perhaps one of the biggest free agency periods in league history, Portland Trail Blazers power forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge appears ready to head for the deep heart of Texas.
The 29-year-old 6’11 Aldridge, considered one of the biggest free agent targets, who averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
One team that appears ready to hook the former Texas Longhorn is the San Antonio Spurs.
While San Antonio doesn’t have the glitz of Los Angeles or New York, nor the international cosmopolitan feel of Toronto, what San Antonio does offer—besides no state income tax in playing in his native Texas—is a championship-caliber contender that has Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
After being eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers, Aldridge could be the missing link to another Spurs title team, and potentially form a new “Big Three” alongside NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and the aforementioned Parker.
Wherever Aldridge lands, it will no doubt send massive reverberations not only throughout the West, but the whole league as well.