Could The Suns Look To Sign This 7-Time All-Star?
Over the last decade, there have not been many frontcourt players in the NBA better than LaMarcus Aldridge. An elite post-up scorer who also made his living in the mid-range area, Aldridge simply got to his spot on offense and made his opponents pay time and time again when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.
Now being 37-years-old, Aldridge is definitely nearing the end of the line in what will likely be a Hall of Fame career, but he has yet to retire this NBA offseason and could very well be looking to run things back for his 17th season in the league.
Not many teams are looking to add a veteran like him at this point in the offseason, but the Phoenix Suns still have an open roster spot and could utilize LaMarcus Aldridge in more ways than one.
Bringing back Deandre Ayton and Bismack Biyombo in free agency this offseason, as well as having Dario Saric return from a knee injury he suffered in the 2021 NBA Finals, it would not appear as if the Suns need another frontcourt talent at this time.
However, Aldridge can play both the power forward and center positions, providing some much-needed depth behind starting forward Jae Crowder on Phoenix’s depth chart.
Defensively, Aldridge can hold his own and he has still proven to be an efficient rebounder coming off-the-bench late in his career. This past season with the Nets, the veteran big man came off-the-bench in 35 of the 47 games he played and he still managed to average 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Playing in just 126 games the last three seasons, wear-and-tear is definitely starting to catch up to LaMarcus Aldridge and health is definitely a “yellow flag” with him at this point. In fact, he even retired shortly during the 2020-21 season , citing health concerns arising from an irregular heartbeat. Five months later, Aldridge came back to the league and re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets.
When you look at this Phoenix Suns roster as a whole, there really is not anything they truly need. Devin Booker and Chris Paul make up one of the best backcourts in the entire league, Deandre Ayton has come into his own as a Top-10 center in this league, Mikal Bridges is an All-Defensive player on the wing and the Suns were a middle-tier bench scoring team during the 2022-23 season.
They are definitely going to be a championship contender once again this upcoming year and it would not be surprising to see them flirt with 60-plus wins once again, as they went 64-18 this past 2021-22 season.
Adding someone with their 15th roster spot is not something that is necessary for this team to find success on the basketball court, but bringing in someone like LaMarcus Aldridge could do more for this team than just his potential scoring output or rebounds off-the-bench.
Aldridge has been through a lot in his career and has 16 years of experience under his belt. Having another veteran voice in this locker room could do wonders for a young team contending for a title and he could possibly hold a role similar to that of Andre Iguodala with the Golden State Warriors, where he only plays when needed and saves up all of his energy for the playoffs while helping the young talents on the team during the regular season.
Still a strong mid-range shooter who has a high understanding for the game, LaMarcus Aldridge is exactly the type of humble, veteran leader the Phoenix Suns should welcome with open arms ahead of training camp. Should he be cleared to play from a health perspective, signing Aldridge is definitely a respectable move for the Suns to make.
