NBA Rumors: Blazers Could Acquire LaMarcus Aldridge & DeMar DeRozan For Three Players & Three 1st-Round Picks
The 2019 NBA offseason has gone into a frenzy with most NBA teams becoming aggressive in building a roster that can legitimately contend for the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. While their Western Conference rivals are busy making upgrades, the San Antonio Spurs have only made minimal improvements on their roster this summer. The Spurs may have one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, Coach Gregg Popovich, on their side, but their roster, as currently constructed, don’t have what it takes to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Instead of remaining a mediocre team in the league, it might be best for the Spurs to undergo a full-scale rebuild. This could start by trading their veteran players, including LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. If they finally decide to take a different route and make Aldridge and DeRozan available on the trade market, Austin Carroll of Rip City Project believes that the Portland Trail Blazers would be a perfect trade partner for the Spurs.
In the proposed trade deal by Rip City Project, the Trail Blazers will be sending Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, Skal Labissiere, a 2020 first-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2024 first-round pick to the Spurs in exchange for LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine. If the trade becomes a reality, it will be beneficial not only for the Trail Blazers but also for the Spurs.
“This move immediately clears the Spurs’ payroll situation for the future while Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker and Derrick White pave the way for the future. Adding extra assets on top of a talented young core is a recipe for success, so it makes the most sense to dump the pair of stars while they still have significant value in the trade market. While this trade is bound to look like a win on San Antonio’s end years down the road, what matters to Portland is capitalizing on Lillard’s prime playing days and pushing the throttle full speed ahead in an effort to win a championship.”
LaMarcus Aldridge rumors are popping up again and site experts @AustinCarroll33 and @AneeshNamburi discussed their thoughts on a potential reunion. Who do you agree with? Let us know ?? https://t.co/GlLS5eYJtB
— Rip City Project (@ripcityproject) July 19, 2019
By trading LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan to Portland, the Spurs would be acquiring a young and promising player in Skal Labissiere and three future first-round picks that could help them speed up the rebuilding process. Aside from giving them the salary cap flexibility to become major players in the 2020 NBA free agency, the Spurs could use the expiring contracts of Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore to acquire future draft assets before the next year’s February NBA trade deadline.
Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan would give the Trail Blazers two All-Star caliber players to support the explosive backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. With the core of Lillard, McCollum, DeRozan, Aldridge, and Jusuf Nurkic, the Trail Blazers would have a strong chance of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title next season.
