Ranking the five best Portland Trail Blazers players of the last decade

Acquired in the highway robbery of a trade that sent Tyrus Thomas to the Bulls in exchange for LaMarcus Aldridge, it didn’t take long for the big man to endear himself to the fans. Coming out of the gate with reduced play-time in a bench role, Aldridge still managed to fight his way into the All-Rookie First Team.

Following that first promising season, Aldridge earned a promotion to the starting lineup. The rest, as they say, is history. In his nine seasons as a starter for the Portland Trail Blazers, Aldridge averaged 20.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per season. He only got better as he developed, which helps him out here in this ranking that only dates back to 2009.

The rest of the league clearly took notice of the dominating force Aldridge had become, as he earned three All-NBA nominations and four All-Star Game selections while playing for Portland. Aldridge even placed top ten in MVP voting honors twice with the Blazers.

For all his talent, the Aldridge-led Blazers could never quite get over the hump and into true title contention. As expectations for the team rose, so did reported tensions inside the locker room. As media speculation from the outside continued pushing the narrative that Aldridge and Damian Lillard were quarreling for control of the team, the situation spiraled out of control and tore the team apart.

Now that the dust has settled and Aldridge has spent four years re-evaluating his priorities in San Antonio, he’d like to set the record straight.

"“I didn’t want to make him think I was stifling his growth, or have a mindset that I was hating on him, so I didn’t say anything to him… That was the wrong approach, because he told me he would have liked guidance and a big brother.” -Aldridge"

Per Jason Quick of the Athletic, Aldridge let his intentions be known about the possibility of a Portland reunion:

"“But of course, if we had a better relationship, it changes the whole outlook of how it went. It’s sad that not talking like we do now could have changed history. But everything happens for a reason. He has flourished in that role, and I keep telling [Dame] I’m going to come back and finish there. That’s something him and I have talked about — playing together again.” -Aldridge"

With only one guaranteed year left on Aldridge’s contract, the Portland Trail Blazers have a litany of expiring contracts to throw the Spurs’ way to bring him home. If that fails, the Blazers could simply wait the year out and attempt to sign Aldridge on a value deal. This possibility of a reunion will be a story line worth following for the foreseeable future.