Analyzing potential San Antonio Spurs trades for LaMarcus Aldridge

Potential Trade No. 3: Portland Trail Blazers

Over the last four years, there’s been a gaping hole at power forward for the Portland Trail Blazers. The last time we measured that hole, it was 6-feet-11. If you catch my drift, I think I know a guy who fits it well.

Since LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure in 2014-15, the Blazers have had 14 different players take on the reins as power forward. This comes as no slight to either Ed Davis or Mason Plumlee, but if they’ve been the cream of that crop, a championship figures to be pretty distant.

Last season, the Blazers walked the walk: it wasn’t just that they advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in nearly two decades. Over the course of that four-game series, the Blazers actually led in the series (101 total minutes) more than they trailed (83 minutes).

This year, they’ve talked the talk. C.J. McCollum declared it as title-or-bust, and while he couldn’t have forecast Portland having this much trouble with both injuries and chemistry, banking on everything clicking in February or March feels especially precarious in this year’s jam-packed Western Conference.

The resurgence of Carmelo Anthony has become a lifeline; the rest of the team has picked up on his vibe, and have performed as a 50-win team when he’s on the court. We’ve seen what a change of scenery and feeling wanted does for a player.

But with how wide-open the Western Conference is, can the Blazers be confident that this is enough? How much faith does Portland have in: a) Hassan Whiteside accepting a bench role when Jusuf Nurkić returns next year, b) a postseason rotation where Anthony Tolliver or Mario Hezonja are logging heavy minutes if Zach Collins‘ injury woes continue?

With that, comes a potential trade. Most reports suggest that Portland could offer a package of say, Hassan Whiteside, whose money stacks up well aside Aldridge’s ($27.1 million to $26 million). In July, Rip City Project’s Austin Carroll suggested that Portland could make a offer, simply centered around Kent Bazemore‘s expiring contract and talented Haitian center Skal Labissière.

The latter has become a revelation, with a solid touch and decent range to boot.

As he brought out, “the best defense is a great offense.” The idea of a Damian Lillard-McCollum-Anthony-Aldridge-Nurkic lineup is enough to have even the most ambitious of offensive talents licking their chops. But tell me this: say that lineup does give up 110-plus on a nightly basis. How many points are they scoring in return?

The Lakers and Clippers are obviously imposing. But the Blazers have found their match in Golden State in three of the last four postseasons. With that dragon down for the court for at least a year, would Portland want to sit here years later, expressing regret for not looking to stockpile star power, especially one that knows the culture and system?

If nothing else, the world just needs a little bit more of this. 

Stats to know:

• It’s easy to forget, given how short-lived it was. But, the duo of LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard generally ranked as one of the most potent in the NBA. Their two-man lineup net ratings over their three-year run: plus-1.6 in 2012-13, plus-9.1 in 2013-14, and plus-6.1 in 2014-15. A note on that 2013-14 season: you can count on two hands how many two-man combinations were better, but just barely. Among those to play at least 1,900 minutes, only six lineups had more success.
• An immediate synergy: only Luka Doncic and Trae Young run as many pick-and-roll ball-handler sets than Damian Lillard. Only Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Vucevic and Serge Ibaka run as many pick-and-roll man than LaMarcus Aldridge. We’re talking top of the class, Dean’s list type excellence here. On those rolls, Aldridge is hitting on 50.6 percent of his looks.
• Portland feels like a potential paradise for Aldridge: the Blazers run screen-and-roll at the second-highest frequency in the NBA, and rank among in the top-10 in post-ups and putbacks.

If only Aldridge had found out about this Portland team a few years ago. Oh, wait.