Conclusion: It Ain’t Happening
Aldridge may not want a long-term contract with the cap ballooning to epic proportions over the next three seasons. If he signs a one-year extension with another team, that team wouldn’t own his Bird’s Rights and could only re-sign him on a 20 percent raise. The cap would increase by 32 percent that season.
Aldridge’s best bet, if he wants to take a chance on his health and opt out for another free agency in a summer where the cap skyrockets, would be taking a two-year max deal that leaves him eligible for free agency right before the 2017-18 season. That team would have his Earl Bird Rights and would be able to sign him to a MEGA deal — the likes of which the NBA has not seen to this point.
However, he’d also be 32 years old at that point. The Suns aren’t good enough to win a title in one or two years with Aldridge at the helm, and the financial complications would leave Phoenix shorthanded when it comes to adding useful role players. Combine that with the fact that Aldridge has better options and this union becomes even more unlikely.
Whether it’s a short-term deal or a long-term deal, it’s hard to see how LMA fits with the Phoenix Suns. As much as he’d be a great free agency find for this team from a basketball perspective, there are far too many other factors at play to make LaMarcus Aldridge a legitimate free agency option.
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