NBA Rumors: Nuggets Could Send Malik Beasley And Mason Plumlee To Spurs For LaMarcus Aldridge, Per ‘HoopsHype’
As the Spurs continue to struggle this season, rumors have started to swirl around LaMarcus Aldridge and his future in San Antonio. If the Spurs fail to find their way back to their winning wats and see themselves out of the playoff race, most people believe that they will consider moving Aldridge before the February trade deadline. One of the teams who could express interest in adding Aldridge to their roster is the Denver Nuggets.
In his recent article, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype asked several league executives their insights about the current situation of Aldridge in San Antonio. Though they aren’t expected to make a move anytime soon, one league executive believes that the Spurs will make decisions regarding Aldridge’s future closer to the trade deadline. If he could still efficiently play as a power forward, a Western Conference executive thinks that trading for Aldridge makes a lot of sense for the Nuggets.
In the proposed trade deal that would send Aldridge to Denver, the Western Conference executive suggested that the Nuggets could offer a trade package including Malik Beasley and Mason Plumlee to the Spurs.
“Maybe Denver could be a destination for Aldridge,” the league executive said. “If they think he can play the 4, it could make sense. He probably can’t play the 4 at this stage, but I don’t know how other front offices feel. Malik Beasley and Mason Plumlee for LaMarcus is one possible trade scenario.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgiEmdnk0gI
If he could slide back to the power forward position, Aldridge would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Nuggets, giving them an All-Star-caliber big man who has plenty of playoff experience. At 34-years-old, Aldridge still hasn’t shown significant signs of slowing down. This season, he’s averaging 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks, while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three-point range.
Pairing Aldridge with Nikola Jokic would ease the load on the latter’s shoulders on both ends of the floor. As Urbina noted, if Aldridge and Jokic mesh well in the Nuggets’ frontcourt, Coach Mike Malone could use Paul Millsap as their sixth man and allow him to destroy opposing teams’ second units.
Meanwhile, the potential deal would not only be beneficial for the Nuggets but also for the Spurs. In exchange for Aldridge, the suggested trade would enable the Spurs to get some salary cap relief and add another young and promising talent on their roster. At 23-years-old, Beasley perfectly fits the timeline of the Spurs’ young core of Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV.
