Top 5 buyout candidates: LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge, like Blake Griffin and the next player on this list, has a long track record of being a productive big man. A 14-year pro drafted out of the University of Texas back in 2006, Aldridge has dominated the midrange for years. The seven-time All-Star even modernized his game a few years back, stepping back behind the 3-point line to become a true stretch big.
That’s the primary skill he can offer teams even at the age of 35, the ability to stretch the floor on offense. Teams always can use more spacing, and Aldridge is hitting 36 percent of his 3-pointers this season after hitting 38.9 last year. Defensively he has dropped off significantly, and he is no longer clearing the glass at an elite level, but in the right situation he can still help a winning team.
Who’s Interested? In Aldridge’s case, he and the San Antonio Spurs did not waste any time after the trade deadline. He gave back $7.25 million to the Spurs in order to hit the buyout market just hours after the deadline had passed.
LaMarcus Aldridge gave back $7.25 million in contract buyout with the Spurs, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Aldridge was due $24M this season. The Miami Heat are a strong candidate to sign the former All-Star as a free agent, per sources, with Portland among others in mix.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 25, 2021
As noted by Shams Charania above, the Miami Heat are the front runners to add his services. That makes sense; they are a veteran organization looking to make a push in the Eastern Conference, and they traded away both of their stretch bigs over the past two weeks in Meyers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk. Aldridge could be a reasonable facsimile for their role in the offense.
Other options include the Boston Celtics, who opened up a roster slot Thursday and could use another big; the Toronto Raptors, who are still trying to make the playoffs and have struggled to replace Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka this year; and the Charlotte Hornets, who have a need at center and could benefit from the spacing he would bring.