Depending on who you believe, LaMarcus Aldridge may be leaning toward signing with the Lakers in free agency this summer.
Or, perhaps the Spurs are the frontrunners to retain his services.
All we know at this point is that it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Aldridge re-ups with the Blazers, at any price. The fact that he has free agent meetings scheduled with seven teams in total -- none of which are Portland -- should help to hammer that point home.
From Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com:The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets will get the first opportunities to meet with LaMarcus Aldridge shortly after the free-agency period officially begins at 9:01 p.m. PT Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Aldridge also will meet with the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and with the New York Knicks on Thursday, league sources told ESPN.com.
According to one source, the chance of Aldridge staying with the Portland Trail Blazers is “very unlikely.”
The Suns and the Raptors are the interesting teams, here, mainly because neither franchise has historically been seen as a desirable destination for marquee free agents to choose.
If the Lakers and the Spurs come calling with max money offers, however, they have to be considered the favorites among the teams on Aldridge’s somewhat long list.