Report: Aldridge had Blazers seeking trade partner as far back as 2012

San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge made a victorious return to Portland on Wednesday night, but apparently his tenure with the Trail Blazers could have ended much earlier than last summer's departure via free agency.

The Blazers tried to honor a private request by Aldridge that they find out his trade value as far back as 2012, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. But the Blazers were turned down in offers for players including Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Al Horford, Greg Monroe, and Serge Ibaka, Wojnarowski reports.

Rumors persist that Aldridge had a complex relationship with teammate Damian Lillard, which may have contributed to Aldridge's Portland exit.

From Wojnarowski:

Aldridge loathed driving around Portland and seeing those Lillard billboards that Adidas had mounted for him - even when the Blazers made Aldridge the centerpiece of every franchise marketing investment.

Aldridge did credit Blazers general manager Neil Olshey for making the team more player-friendly. "Neil was great," Aldridge said. "The organization wasn't really bad (before him), but it wasn't player-oriented. He came and really made it about the players ... he wanted to make the focus about the players being happy. He finally listened to my voice and made me feel like I was the franchise player."

That was not enough to keep Aldridge in the Pacific Northwest. The Texas product became the prize catch of last summer's free agency, meeting with several teams before deciding on the Spurs - the franchise he had been linked to almost one year ago.

However, that wasn't before Aldridge became intrigued by both the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors along the way. "There was a genuine spirit about (Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri) that made me more interested in Toronto," Aldridge said.

With the Suns, Aldridge was tempted by the inclusion of free-agent center Tyson Chandler, saying: "They went from just being an option to being at the top of my list."

Aldridge reiterated that Kobe Bryant's presence had nothing to do with his rejection of the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead it was the team's perceived focus on marketing opportunities over basketball.

"Kobe was the best part of the meeting," Aldridge said. "I've known Kobe for years ... he knows my kids. I've seen him with his daughters. I was kind of mad about how it got spun around that it was him that I had problems with, when he was actually the best part of it."