LaMarcus Aldridge Contract: Future of Spurs Forward

Getty LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs drives for two between Andre Iguodala #9 of the Golden State Warriors and Damian Jones #15 of the Golden State Warriors.

LaMarcus Aldridge has a pretty tall task ahead of him over the next week or so. The San Antonio Spurs center has to deal with the 3-head frontcourt monster of All-Star Nikola Jovic, Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets during the Western Conference 1st Round.

He’s the centerpiece of the West’s No. 7 seed, leading the Spurs with 21.3 points and 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. While he likely needs Jakob Poeltl to give him some breathers, Aldridge is more than capable of battling inside with the Nuggets’ trio.

How is he getting compensated for his performance this season? According to Spotrac, he earned over $22.3 million this season, which is the last year of his initial 4-year, $84 million contract.

He did sign an extension in 2017. According to Shams Charania (previously of The Vertical), the deal is worth $72.3 million over three years. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has more details.

His performance this season has to have eased the concerns of the San Antonio front office. According to Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report, he was seen as a bit of a disappointment before teaming up with DeMar DeRozan last offseason.

Aldridge has averaged 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Spurs. In nine years with the Portland Trail Blazers, he averaged 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.

His unsuitability as a No. 2 option behind Kawhi Leonard was abundantly clear in last year’s playoffs as well.

Leonard’s ankle injury provided an opportunity for Aldridge to put the team on his back. Instead, San Antonio had a minus-4.8 net rating when he was on the court in the postseason, according to NBA.com. The Golden State Warriors swept the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

Through one half at Pepsi Center in Denver, he only has 4 points and 3 rebounds. He has been limited to just 14 minutes of action with 3 personal fouls. Regardless, San Antonio leads 59-51 heading into the locker room.

This level of production seems to be an anamoly. Aldridge averaged 22.3 points and 6.5 boards in 4 meetings with the Nuggets this year, which the teams split. If he and the Spurs survive tonight on the road, they have an excellent chance at pulling the first round upset.

They are 32-9 at home, while the Nuggets are just 20-21 away from Pepsi Center. Aldridge could continue earning his paycheck with a deep postseason run.