According to everyone but the Portland Trail Blazers’ front-office, LaMarcus Aldridge’s days in Oregon are over.
The All-Star has reportedly informed his current employer that he’ll be signing with another team this summer, something the Blazers contend is not true.
Neil Olshey Refutes Aldridge Rumors, Discusses Recent Acquisitions
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General manager Neil Olshey told the local press Thursday that Aldridge’s intentions are not yet known.
The big fella has played nine seasons in Portland, becoming an All-Star four times, and posted a career-high scoring average of 23.4 points this past season.
Per The Columbian and CSNNW:
The writing is on the wall that we’ve seen the last of LaMarcus Aldridge in a Portland Trail Blazers uniform. Their trade of Nicolas Batum on Wednesday might not be the end of Portland’s roster overhaul. […] A Western Conference executive with knowledge of the Aldridge pursuit has said that the free-agent has already informed the Blazers that he will not return to the Northwest.
When he asked Aldridge how to address the rumors, Olshey said Aldridge told him: “Just say it’s not true.” […] Aldridge will be an unrestricted free agent in less than a week, with many around the NBA mentioning San Antonio as the likely destination, with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and even the Atlanta Hawks in the mix.
With his remarks on Thursday, Olshey wouldn’t submit to the idea Aldridge wouldn’t return to the Blazers, saying: “I can tell you that he has not informed anybody in this organization of his intention not to return to the team. […] “We’ve always known that LaMarcus was going to have a robust free agent market. It was a market we were going to compete in, it’s a market we’re still planning to compete it. But in no way has he given us any indication that he was not returning to the Trail Blazers.”
