The Portland Trailblazers swung a big trade out of left field Wednesday night when they acquired forward Gerald Henderson and second-year big man Noah Vonleh from the Charlotte Hornets for swingman Nic Batum. The move could be a signal to Blazers fans that they should prepare to bid farewell to All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge.
Vonleh, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2014 draft, only played 10 minutes a night for the Hornets, is viewed as an offense-first big man that the Blazers may be seeing as the heir apparent to Aldridge. Sources close to Aldridge are telling ESPN that he won't stay with Portland once he hits free agency in July.
"He's gone," a source close to Aldridge said. "There's a 99.9 percent chance that he's out of Portland."
Those sources said Aldridge is not convinced Portland can attract free agents to make the team a championship contender, and that he feels underappreciated by the organization. He has been one of the most consistent players in the NBA, averaging 20-plus points per game every year since the 2010-11 season and putting up a double-double over each of the past two campaigns. Aldridge is also the rare high-usage big man that can shoot free throws, managing an 84.5 percent mark from the charity stripe last year.
Aldridge is being linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, although a move for DeMarcus Cousins could rule them out of the Aldridge sweepstakes. He is also mentioned as an option for the San Antonio Spurs, who might lose Tim Duncan to retirement this offseason.
Expecting Vonleh to replace Aldridge is a big risk; he averaged 11.9 points and nine rebounds as a freshman at Indiana, but his lack of playing time on the Hornets was no ringing endorsement.
[ESPN]
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