The 2015 NBA free agency season hasn’t even been going on for two days yet, but the Portland Trail Blazers are already convinced that they are losing a top star. LaMarcus Aldridge has already had a number of visits, and it now appears as if the Trail Blazers are convinced that one of their top players is on his way out the door and out of their uniform.
Trail Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes spoke with WTHI, and he revealed that he’s pretty sure a youth movement is beginning in Portland. Actually, he thought they would lose Aldridge before free agency even began.
“Well, people don’t realize we just went young. We didn’t publicize it, but we lost LaMarcus Aldridge. It hasn’t been declared yet, but I’m sure he won’t come back. We will go young.”
With that being said, it almost seemed as if the Trail Blazers were conceding on losing one of the NBA’s top big men without even trying. As soon as free agency began, Aldridge met with the LA Lakers and has since met with a few other teams as well.
Aldridge already seems to be whittling down his choices as well. Less than eight hours ago, he was scheduled to pay a visit to the New York Knicks, but by Thursday afternoon, Aldridge had cancelled that meeting, per NBA.com .
The San Antonio Spurs have met with LaMarcus Aldridge and were once seen as the frontrunners to land him. Now, that doesn’t seem so sure.
It has been reported that Aldridge has a formal conversation scheduled with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat on Thursday night. It has also been revealed that even though Aldridge’s first meeting with the LA Lakers didn’t go well, he now has another meeting set up with them.
With the expected loss of Aldridge, the Trail Blazers are possibly looking at Meyers Leonard being their go-to big man in the upcoming season. This is also especially true with Robin Lopez expected to leave and possibly signing with the New York Knicks .
Last season, Leonard averaged just over 15 minutes per game, but in 2015-2016, he’s going to move up to the number two man behind Damian Lillard. That’s going to be a lot of pressure on the 23-year-old, and he’s going to have to grow up very quickly by NBA standards.
The 2015 NBA free agency season has begun with a bang, and there is still a lot of indecision out there. LaMarcus Aldridge appears on his way out of Portland, and the Trail Blazers seem convinced that is more than just rumors. Now, the Blazers need to grow up fast.
[Image via Getty Images – Cameron Browne]