Portland Trail Blazers centers Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter were hoping that LaMarcus Aldridge would return to Rip City and join them in the frontcourt. While nothing was set in stone just yet, they were also left astonished by the 35-year-old's decision to sign with the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday after being bought out by the San Antonio Spurs.
The two outspoken centers took to Twitter to air their reactions. Kanter resorted to humor to mask his disappointment, while Nurk opted to post a sarcastic Magic Johnson laughing meme.
Thanos ? or maybe Jesus 🤔 https://t.co/xmd9BgFdBl
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) March 27, 2021
— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) March 27, 2021
Blazers guard Anfernee Simmons also chimed in following the development that pushed the Nets' All-Star players tally to six.
Nah fr tho 😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/BqZOdEhvVK
— Anfernee Simons (@AnferneeSimons) March 27, 2021
LaMarcus Aldridge, of course, represented Rip City from 2006-15. He still leads the franchise in several statistical categories and considered one of the best Blazers players of all time. The Blazers were reportedly closely monitoring his situation with the Spurs in a bid to bring him back to where it all started. While he is no longer the same dominant post-player that he was at the beginning of his career, the seven-time All-Star could have added more depth to their roster.
Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has long been open about his desire to reunite with his former teammate. Even Aldridge himself said in the past that he intends to finish his career in Portland.
But Aldridge could not resist the allure of winning his first NBA title, as he now joins a powerhouse squad bannered by the three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Aldridge is Brooklyn's second high-profile signing from the buy-out market, as they also picked up Blake Griffin earlier this month.
Aldridge's agreement with the Nets lasts only until this season, so there's still a possibility of returning to the Blazers in the near future.
Follow Us
Subscribe