Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
As the NBA trade deadline approaches the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat are the favorites to land veteran LaMarcus Aldridge.
The NBA trade deadline is happening this week and several players are expected to be on the move. As March 25 at 3 p.m. ET draws nearer, there’s speculation that some veteran pieces will be moved and likely to teams attempting to contend for the championship this summer.
According to The Ringer, the Miami Heat are considered to be one of the favorites to land LaMarcus Aldridge by front-office executives pending a buyout from the San Antonio Spurs.
The Trail Blazers are also a threat to acquire Aldridge, sources say.
How LaMarcus Aldridge could help the Heat, Blazers amid NBA deadline
The Heat have been on a solid run since mid-February. They’ve won 11 of 15 games and have the NBA’s third-best defensive rating. Their offense, however, has not seen the same success. On that side of the floor, Miami ranks 22nd in that time period and 25th in the NBA for the whole season.
Aldridge can come in and certainly provide some scoring immediately. The Heat are currently in fifth in the competitive Eastern Conference and need more scoring if they want any chance of getting back to the Finals.
Aldridge has also expressed interest in ending his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. Aldridge was drafted by the Blazers in 2006 and spent nine seasons with the team. This season, he is averaging 13.7 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists and could certainly help the current six-seeded Blazers contend in the West.
Do you see Aldridge joining the Heat or Blazers if he’s bought out by the Spurs?