LaMarcus Aldridge to wait until 2015 to sign max extension with Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge still plans to sign a contract extension with the team, but the All-Star won’t do so until next summer. On Tuesday, Aldridge told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian that he’s not inking a new deal this offseason, putting him in a position to hit unrestricted free agency in 2015.
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That would seem to be bad news for Portland, but Aldridge has never indicated a desire to leave the team. Instead, he appears to be angling for the biggest contract possible, which means waiting until the Trail Blazers can offer him a five-year max-level deal next summer. That would guarantee $108 million for Aldridge, well more than he could get by signing this summer.
A week ago, the Trail Blazers reportedly met with Aldridge to offer him a max extension, but could only offer to add three years and $55 million to the $16 million he’s set to receive in 2014-15. That’s a total guarantee of four years and $71 million including his current deal, so you can pretty easily see why Aldridge would prefer to wait a year and potentially receive an extension worth nearly double.
Last season, Aldridge was exceptional for Portland, averaging 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds while leading the Trail Blazers to 54 wins. He also earned his third consecutive All-Star bid and helped power the team through a tough first-round series against the Houston Rockets in the postseason.
So the union between Aldridge and Portland will likely continue for the foreseeable future, but if all goes according to plan, it will be an expensive one for the Trail Blazers. Luckily, there are a lot of reasons to believe he’s deserving of the big money coming his way.