Report: Portland Trail Blazers to offer max extension to LaMarcus Aldridge

Apr 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) attempts a free throw during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game five of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

What a difference a year can make for LaMarcus Aldridge as he was reportedly seeking a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason and now could be presented with a maximum extension from one of the upstart teams in the entire NBA.

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As the NBA world waits for the NBA Draft to take place on Thursday evening, the Blazers are focused on locking up the All-Star power forward for at least the next three years and as long as the next five years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

"Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen and general manager Neil Olshey formally presented the representatives of three-time All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge a maximum contract extension in Los Angeles last week, league sources told Yahoo Sports.Allen and Olshey met with Wasserman Media Group agents Thad Foucher and Arn Tellem to lay out the max contract extension scenarios available to Aldridge and reaffirm the franchise’s desire to secure him for the long term, league sources said."

The reasons why Portland would want to lock up the talented big man who had a stellar postseason after a strong regular season are plentiful. He posted career-highs in points per game with 23.2, rebounds with 11.1 and 2.6 assists. He averaged 26.2 points per game in the postseason before being eliminated by the eventual champion, San Antonio Spurs.

With point guard Damian Lillard and Nick Batum giving the team one of the best back courts in the Western Conference, locking up Aldridge to a max deal would go a long way in ensuring the Trail Blazers will continue to rise up the ranks and compete with the likes of the Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets for the foreseeable future.

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