The San Antonio Spurs and veteran power forward LaMarcus Aldridge have mutually agreed they will not return to the team, coach Gregg Popovich announced Wednesday night.
The Spurs are committed on several fronts to possible exchanges for Aldridge and believe they can find a deal, perhaps even next week, and avoid the need to negotiate a contract termination, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
If there is no exchange for Aldridge before the March 25 deadline and a contract termination comes into play, many of the best teams in the league are expressing a private interest in adding him as a free agent, they said. the sources.
Aldridge, 35, a seven-time All-Star, was given permission to “work on some opportunities elsewhere,” although he officially remains on the Spurs’ roster for now. He has an expiring contract with a salary of $ 24 million.
“He’s been a great teammate. No problem,” Popovich said during his virtual availability to the media before the game. “We just think this is beneficial for LaMarcus and the club. When an opportunity arises, it will depend on the management, their agent and that sort of thing, and we will all move on.”
Aldridge missed eight of the Spurs’ last 11 games before the All-Star playoff due to hip and quadriceps injuries. He left the bench in all three games he played during this stretch, playing as a reserve for the first time since he was new to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07.
The Spurs won six of the eight games in which Aldridge was left out, entering the All-Star Game setback with an 18-14 record and seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
Aldridge has averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season, shooting 46.4% from the ground and 36% from the 3-point range.
“He did everything we asked of him,” Popovich said. “At this point, we would like to do something that works for him as much as for our club, because he deserves it.”
Aldridge averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for five and a half seasons with the Spurs, with whom he signed to free agency after spending the first nine seasons of his career in Portland.