Spurs buy out Aldridge; Heat reportedly favorites to sign him

The San Antonio Spurs have bought out LaMarcus Aldridge's contract, the team announced Thursday.

The Miami Heat are expected to emerge as the front-runners to sign Aldridge, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Aldridge will hold discussions with multiple teams before making his decision, Wojnarowski adds.

The Portland Trail Blazers are among the squads also interested in signing the seven-time All-Star, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports.

Aldridge has taken a step back in his sixth season with the Spurs, averaging just 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 21 games. He's producing the least points per game since his rookie campaign.

Aldridge and the Spurs mutually agreed to part ways earlier this month. The 35-year-old is earning $24 million in the final season of a two-year, $50-million contract. He gave back $7.25 million to the Spurs as part of the buyout agreement, Charania adds.

Miami reportedly acquired Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets prior to the NBA's trade deadline to complement a core that features Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson.