Report: Aldridge called Lillard last season about trade back to Blazers

LaMarcus Aldridge's request to be traded from the San Antonio Spurs last season is a matter of public record. After all, Gregg Popovich corroborated Aldridge's rumored discontent earlier this year.

What wasn't immediately clear is the extent Aldridge apparently went to in order to leave the Spurs. The gap between Aldridge and the organization reached such a nadir last season that the six-time All-Star reportedly reached out to his old Portland Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard in an attempt to return to his former team, according to Bleacher Report's Ken Berger.

Aldridge reportedly asked Lillard to contact Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey to express his interest in returning to the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in 2006.

In nine seasons in Portland, Aldridge averaged 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. In Aldridge's final two seasons with the team, both he and Lillard were named to the All-Star Game in 2014 and 2015. After amassing a 51-31 record in 2014-15, the Trail Blazers were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, and Aldridge left to sign a four-year, $84-million contract with the Spurs.