Trail Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes confirmed in a TV interview with Indiana TV station WTHI that LaMarcus Aldridge won't return to Portland, according to Blazer's Edge.
Blazers assistant confirms LaMarcus Aldridge is gone
It looks like the Blazers know Aldridge won’t return and are preparing to go young.
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
“Well, people don’t realize we just went young,” Hughes said. “We didn’t publicize it, but we lost LaMarcus Aldridge. It hasn’t been declared yet, but I’m sure he won’t come back. We will go young.”
Aldridge was expected to leave the Trail Blazers but reports had Portland in the running to retain him. Hughes' confirmation that the franchise is moving on suggests that's not going to happen, which means Aldridge will likely land with the Spurs, Suns, Knicks, Mavericks, Raptors or Rockets. Those are the teams Aldridge had scheduled meetings with, along with the Lakers, which are reportedly out of the running.
The Trail Blazers made some moves to get young, as Hughes says, by trading Nicolas Batum for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh, adding Mason Plumlee on draft night by sending out Steve Blake, signing Al-Farouq Aminu to a four-year contract worth $30 million, letting Arron Afflalo walk and not making Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez top priorities. They will start next season with a very different roster that the one that finished with 51 wins next year.
The Trail Blazers are targeting Greg Monroe reportedly to pair him up with Aldridge but if the All-Star power forward is leaving, he might be the replacement they are looking for to flank the newly extended Damian Lillard.
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