The Portland Trail Blazers may consider a reunion with LaMarcus Aldridge to help push the team into contention next year, and here’s how they could do it.
When LaMarcus Aldridge first stated that tensions between him and Portland Trail Blazers co-star Damian Lillard were overblown by the media, it was only a matter of time before the fanbase’s minds became enraptured with potential trade ideas.
The seven-time All-Star spent nine years of his career in Portland after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls at No. 2 overall and subsequently being traded to the Blazers for Tyrus Thomas. That would go down as one of the bigger draft day blunders in recent memory, but Aldridge’s time in Portland wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows either.
Portland media repeatedly manufactured story lines about a heated relationship between Aldridge and Lillard, which eventually culminated in the star leaving for San Antonio.
Now that the dust has settled and old wounds have had more time to heal, it appears Aldridge isn’t against the idea of a reunion.
LaMarcus Aldridge has said he could envision himself playing with Damian Lillard again. Could it happen via a reunion in Portland? Spurs insider @JabariJYoung thinks so.
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) July 15, 2019
"I think at the end of the day, someway, somehow, LaMarcus will be back in Portland."#RipCity pic.twitter.com/sHRARysN4E
With the Blazers in the midst of their championship window and the NBA being more wide-open than it has ever been this decade, now is the perfect time to pull a surprise trade to bring Aldridge back home.
Let’s discuss three potential trades for Aldridge that are actually based in the realm of plausibility and could push the needle in favor for the Blazers championship aspirations. Dare I say the last one would even make them title favorites?