The Toronto Raptors have surprisingly emerged as a possible suitor for unrestricted free agent, LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge reportedly "has an interest" for the Raptors, according to Shams Charania of Real GM.
After Aldridge reportedly told the Portland Trail Blazers that he will not be re-signing with them this off-season, the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers have become frontrunners in acquiring the four-time All-Star. Now with Toronto added to the mix, things should get very interesting when free agency begins.
Flash back to the 2006 NBA Draft when the Raptors drafted Andrea Bargnani with the first overall pick over Aldridge. That turned out to be a disaster, but with reports that Aldridge will be meeting with the Raptors this week, Toronto could finally fix their unforgettable mistake and bring Aldridge to where he was supposed to end up.
The Raptors could offer Aldridge a max contract after they freed up cap space on draft night when they traded away Greivis Vasquez to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2017 first-round pick and their 46th pick in the 2015 NBA draft which turned out to be Norman Powell.
In desperate need of a big, adding Aldridge to the Raptors roster this off-season will really solidify Toronto from pretenders to actual contenders in the Eastern conference.
Aldridge averaged a career-high 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.0 block this past season with the Blazers, and despite suffering a thumb injury, he led Portland to the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons, but the team failed to get past the first round.