The prize of the 2015 NBA free agency class has landed: LaMarcus Aldridge is signing with the San Antonio Spurs.
Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the deal, while Aldridge took to Twitter and confirmed the deal himself shortly thereafter.
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For Aldridge, this marks the end of an era with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career. For San Antonio, it marks the passing of a torch from one all-time great big man in Tim Duncan to the man whom they believe can step into those shoes in Aldridge.
Aldridge turns 30 on July 19. He averaged a career-high 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1 block per game last season with Portland.
Duncan, San Antonio’s star big man, told the San Antonio Express News that he’ll “be back on the court” for his 19th season this fall. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also intends to coach for the remainder of the five-year contract he signed last season, a point of emphasis for Aldridge when choosing where to sign, according to Wojnarowski.
In addition to Aldridge, the Spurs, who recently re-signed Defensive Player of the Year and 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to a new contract and traded reserve big man Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks, are pursuing former Indiana Pacers forward David West at the veteran’s minimum contract.
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As ESPN analyst Marc Stein noted, it took 20 years and five championships, but the Spurs finally are the darlings of free agency.
Thumbnail photo via Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports Images
