It may only be for the veteran’s minimum, but on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets continued to get deeper by acquiring LaMarcus Aldridge of Dallas, Texas to a one-year contract according to Rogers Sportsnet. For Aldridge, the Nets will be his third NBA franchise, following nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and six seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
The fact that Aldridge left the Spurs for a contender should come as no surprise. A change of scenery for the veteran center, who has power forward experience, was completely expected. San Antonio officially released Aldridge on Thursday.
So far this season, Aldridge has played in 21 games with the Spurs and started 18. He is averaging 13.7 points per game, and 4.5 rebounds per game, along with a field goal percentage of .464, a three-point percentage of .360, and a free-throw percentage of .838.
As Aldridge joins the Nets, rust might be a problem. That is because he has not played since March 1. Ironically in that game, the Nets played the Spurs and won 124-113. Aldridge came off the bench and only scored two points, with both points coming from the charity stripe.
Aldridge’s best game this season for the Spurs came on January 7 in a 118-109 San Antonio win over the defending NBA Finals champion Los Angeles Lakers. Aldridge had a season-high 28 points. It would not be shocking if the Lakers and Nets hooked up in the 2021 NBA Finals. That is of course if the Lakers are healthy by that time. They have not been this season as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, their two star players, are currently out with injuries.
Aldridge is one of two big men the Nets have acquired over the last month to complement Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant. On March 8, the Nets signed veteran Blake Griffin, after his contract was bought out by the Detroit Pistons. Brooklyn is currently at 31 wins and 15 losses, and one game back of the Philadelphia 76ers for first place in the Eastern Conference.
For FREE!
