No draft trades emerge with Aldridge on block
Sources: Team seeks options after forward struggled in playoffs
SAN ANTONIO — Without going into specifics, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford all but confirmed the club attempted to trade up in the first round of the NBA draft Thursday night.
Before the draft got underway, league sources said the Spurs were having discussions with multiple teams in an attempt to find a partner for a deal involving power forward LaMarcus Aldridge that would vault the club into the top 10.
Some of the talks also included Spurs guard Danny Green, sources said.
“This was a particularly talented draft, so there is always all kind of discussions going on,” Buford said after the draft. “You never know what is real and you never know where you are going to get. But we were excited where we were and are excited to get the guys in here and get it going with them.”
Two years left on deal
After the Spurs’ bid to pull off a blockbuster failed, they used the 29th pick to select Colorado guard Derrick White. In the second round, they chose Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame with the 59th pick.
Aldridge, 31, has two years left on the four-year, $84 million contract he signed in the summer of 2015. The deal includes a player option for the 2018-19 season, but Aldridge has remained noncommittal when it comes to pledging to a long-term relationship with the Spurs.
In his first season with the team, he earned his fifth All-Star nod. But his per-game averages of 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2016-17 were his lowest since his rookie season in Portland. On top of that, he struggled at times in the playoffs.
Buford was asked to address reports that Aldridge, 6-11, had asked to be traded. His answer covered all the bases and did not deny such a request was made.
“We have a team that has won 128 games, been to the conference finals,” Buford said. “We are happy with the group we have. If we can make it better, we will do it at any opportunity we can. But it’s more than just players. It’s the fit for our group. Our goals for this team are to continue to compete for championships, and LaMarcus helps us do that. That’s where we sit with LaMarcus.”
Aldridge fell out of favor with many fans after he struggled to carry the team after leading scorer Kawhi Leonard’s postseason ended with an ankle injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Aldridge scored 28 points in the opener, but the Golden State Warriors swept the Spurs after limiting the former University of Texas star to an average of 11.3 points on 38.4 percent shooting from the floor in the final three games.
‘He can’t be timid’
Aldridge’s worst performance came in Game 2. Struggling against double teams, he failed to score in the first half and finished with eight points in 27 minutes on 4-of-11 shooting from the field.
That outing led to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calling him out publicly.
“LaMarcus has got to score for us,” Popovich said. “He can’t be ti mid. He turned down shots in the first half. He can’t do it. You’ve got to score. Scoring has got to come from someplace. I think he’s got a major responsibility in Game 3 to come out and get something done .”
Aldridge responded with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting in Game 3, but he finished Game 4 with another eight-point performance on 4-of-11 and was pulled from the game by Popovich with 4:56 left in the third quarter.