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Blazers players worried LaMarcus Aldridge will leave

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Let's start this debate....

Let's say Love opts-in, LMA wants to leave to join a legit title contender....

Sign and trade LMA to Cleveland for Love (who returns home).

Who says no first, Cleveland or Portland?
 
Let's start this debate....

Let's say Love opts-in, LMA wants to leave to join a legit title contender....

Sign and trade LMA to Cleveland for Love (who returns home).

Who says no first, Cleveland or Portland?

I'd rather have Love for the aforementioned reasons, particularly as @Scholar stated, Love's age is a huge advantage when looking forward... His defense has improved sufficiently this season for me to think he can get it together.

If Love was so committed to Cleveland as to leave $3M on the table and opt-in, I'd say fuck Aldridge and just keep Love. That kind of loyalty is not easily found.
 
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Love is 3 years younger. Makes it an easy choice, at least for me.
 
Topic is interesting, thread sucks.

Let's get back to it here: I don't have the time or skill to accurately dissect salary caps, but Utah, Boston, or Milwaukee would be interesting fits. Those 3 teams all could use more scoring and are decent teams.

Utah would have a lot more spacing, and someone to go to during crunch time.

Boston needs a talent infusion, but their coach is good. Sully back next year at full health (and maybe leaner & stronger) would help.

Milwaukee has a good coach, but they can't consistently score either.
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The elephant in the room appears to be the Spurs. I guess it depends on what Aldridge and his agent want to do. I think it's fair to say that the window is shorter with the Spurs but that the team with him would be a top 4 team, and who knows how their roster changes otherwise.
 
Could you imagine him signing a year one deal, then joining Durant in DC...

:(
 
I really hope he doesn't leave, or if he does, I'd love to see him go play with Kawhi in San Antonio. I think LMA would be unreal under Popovich and in that Spurs offense.

As for the Love thing, I think Aldridge is a better player overall. I wouldn't swap them though. Not only because of age, but I also think that Love is a superior fit for the current Cavs team. Now, before we got Mozgov and had our team set in-stone as it stands today, I think Aldridge's versatility as a PF/C would have made him a much better fit for us here, but now that we have Mozgov to put next to Kevin, I think Kevin is just as good of a fit as LMA would be here.

Either way, it's no insult to Kevin Love to be considered slightly below LaMarcus Aldridge in terms of how you would rank the PF's in the game today. It's a testament to how good Love is that it is even a conversation, because Aldridge is a monster.
 
Let's start this debate....

Let's say Love opts-in, LMA wants to leave to join a legit title contender....

Sign and trade LMA to Cleveland for Love (who returns home).

Who says no first, Cleveland or Portland?

Here's who says no: The NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Unless you want to let JT, Tristan, and Iman all walk, Cavs are going to by a luxury tax apron team. Luxury tax apron teams can not receive a player back via S&T

We could trade a player like Love, TT, or Iman out via S&T for a player(s) already under contract, but we can not be on the receiving end of a player via S&T.

Even if by some maneuvering, we were able to dip below the luxury tax apron line, we can not receive a Signed and Traded player if that players new contract would cause us to go back over the luxury tax line.
 
That's where i'd go.

PG: Tony Parker
SG: Danny Green
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Tim Duncan

Could they afford that? Green, Leonard, and Duncan's contracts end after this season. Then they'd need to give Aldridge a max too.

I think green would have to go but Aldridge/Kawi/Pop is still a contender and Timmy who I truly believe can play till 50 man I love that guy.
 
Different situations entirely.

Aldridge would be leaving because he might fear he's stuck in a situation where he'll always be on a good team but not one that can win a championship.

Love is in a situation that gives him the best possible chance at championships for the foreseeable future.

Situations are not even remotely similar except that they are both PFs
It's not that different really. By treadmill I am implying that both teams were basically set in stone. Minni was always going to be a bad team, and Portland will always be mediocre.

I would like to add Toronto to the list of teams Aldridge would be an interesting fit on. They have no shot, but they do have two pretty good players, and a solid core. I feel if you added Aldridge to the team, and JV continues to improve, they would be serious contenders.
 
Knicks, Lakers, Spurs and Mavs are expected to pursue Aldridge, but Spurs & Mavs feel like they have a legit shot to sign him per Stein.
 
Let's start this debate....

Let's say Love opts-in, LMA wants to leave to join a legit title contender....

Sign and trade LMA to Cleveland for Love (who returns home).

Who says no first, Cleveland or Portland?

Well, I think this becomes more possible. LMA first destination is Cleveland, if Love leaves.

Very interesting. Obviously it'd have to involve a trade. Either a three-way, with Love going to (Lakers?), Aldridge here, and the Lakers coughing up an asset to make it work.

Or, if Kevin were interested in going back to Oregon, playing on a winning team.

I think Kevin is staying, but very nice to know a potential backup plan is in place, if somehow he does want to leave.
 
Aldridge is a special big man talent but I'd rather have Love if he wants to be here first and foremost.

LMA would probably be the best pure big for LeBron though.
 

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