SAN ANTONIO – With the start of the NBA season only a week away, rumors have surfaced that indicate the Spurs might be open to trading All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge during the regular season.
Veteran ESPN.com NBA writer Jackie MacMullan commented on the trade rumors during an appearance Tuesday morning on CSN New England.
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MacMullan said Aldridge, who is entering his second year with Spurs, has not fit in as well as the franchise hoped when the Spurs signed him two summers ago.
"For instance, sources were telling me the other day that LaMarcus Aldridge may not even finish the year with the Spurs. That experiment hasn't quite worked out the way they hoped."
MacMullan was specifically asked about whether a team like the Boston Celtics would be open to trading for Aldridge and said:
“No. Not after what I heard the other day. Of course, you would take him on if you could, he’s an automatic double-double, but there’s just some things about him, some stuff going on there.”
ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe echoed some of MacMullan’s sentiments in a column on Oct 12. Lowe wrote about the Spurs possibly trading Aldridge if he does not live up to expectations.
"The Spurs will see if this team outperforms expectations," Lowe wrote. "If it doesn't, they should take calls on Aldridge. He's really good, and there are a lot of impatient owners chasing immediate gratification."
The Spurs signed Aldridge to a four-year, $80 million deal before the 2015-16 season.
He struggled early in the season, but turned it around and was named to the Western Conference All-Star team.
Before Aldridge left Portland, there were rumors that he was unhappy with Damian Lillard becoming the focal point of the offense.
A similar situation has transpired in San Antonio, where the Spurs have decided to build around Kawhi Leonard.
Aldridge is 31 years old and would be a valuable trade asset if the Spurs decided to deal him at some point during the regular season.
The Spurs open at Golden State on Oct. 25 and Aldridge's future with the team has turned into a question mark as the team makes a run at its sixth NBA championship.