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Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey vehemently denied Thursday night that power forward LaMarcus Aldridge had informed the team he will not return as a free agent.
"It was misreported, it's not true," Olshey told media gathered at team headquarters following the NBA Draft.
Earlier in the day, reports emerged that Aldridge - who is about to become an unrestricted free agent - had informed the Blazers he will not return.
The Blazers traded swingman Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday in a curious move for prospect Noah Vonleh and expiring contract Gerald Henderson. In doing so, the Blazers weakened their team for the interim, which hints at their intentions to rebuild.
A report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports refuted the claim, suggesting that the Batum trade did not necessarily signal Portland's intent to start over.
The Blazers then turned around and traded their first-round pick - small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, thought briefly to be a replacement for Batum - to the Brooklyn Nets for big man Mason Plumlee. Portland also dealt away veteran guard Steve Blake, and also received Nets pick Pat Connaughton.
A move to obtain the 6-foot-11 center Plumlee could at least be viewed as a contingency if Aldridge or Robin Lopez departs.
Aldridge is the Blazers' best player and losing him would almost certainly force a rebuild. That spells trouble for Portland's other key free agents, which include Lopez, Wes Matthews, and Arron Afflalo. Committing significant chunks of salary to strong veteran producers makes little sense if Portland is headed for a tear-down.
As for Aldridge, there's no shortage of suitors for the four-time All-Star. The Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are also said to be chasing him.
Of the bunch, the Spurs are said to be the favorites, while the Lakers are gaining traction. The Rockets, meanwhile, are reportedly dangling Terrence Jones in hopes of creating cap room to accommodate Aldridge.
The 29-year-old Aldridge is one of the best power forwards in the league. He's a bruiser on the block and an unstoppable midrange shooter. He has averaged 22.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 36.4 minutes over the past four seasons, good for a PER of 21.8.
