1) Buyout market options that fit in right away: LaMarcus Aldridge
About the best possible buyout market option that could become available after the deadline this year is the veteran former Texas Longhorn and San Antonio Spurs star veteran power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The 35-year-old Dallas, TX, native Aldridge is a 14 year NBA vet that has only played for two different teams in his career to date.
But this might also be the final year that Aldridge is playing for legendary head coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. He’s just not producing at the same level he did last season, when he got his seventh career All-Star nod.
That’s not to say that the five-time All-NBA Team selection Aldridge is not still having a mostly efficient season when healthy for the Spurs. In the 21 games he’s played in for the Spurs this season, Aldridge averaged 19.1 points per 36 minutes, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks. And he’s shot 46.4 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.8 percent from the free-throw line.
There’s not many other potential buyout market options that the Bulls could look to later this season that could both be the quality of veteran voice in the locker room and the level of impact of a big man as Aldridge. His production level is declining at this point of his career, but Aldridge still brings a lot to the table for a growing team like the Bulls.