San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge just got more reasons to be excited for the New Year. 17-million reasons to be exact.
Per Bobby Marks of ESPN, the veteran big man will reportedly get a $17-million bump that increases his 2020-21 season salary to $24-million from the previously guaranteed $7-million.
Fresh off a 17 point/12 rebound performance in a win vs. GSW., LaMarcus Aldridge is set to receive a $17M reward today. His $7M guaranteed 2020-21 salary will increase to $24M once we get past 5PM EST. The Spurs are holding down the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 1, 2020
LaMarcus Aldridge previously signed a 3-year $72-million extension with the Spurs in prior to the start of the 2017-18 season. The deal included a partial guarantee on the tail end that is worth $7-million.
Aldridge making it past the deadline means he will not hit free agency until after the 2020-21 season. That also means that the Spurs won't be hitting the reset button just yet this year.
San Antonio started the first quarter of the season with a 7-14 record and looked well on their way to missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Spurs have since slightly recovered from their horrible start and are currently holding on to the 8th and final spot in the Western Conference with a 14-18 record.
As for Aldridge, his numbers have regressed this season following a 2018-19 campaign where he made the All-Star team for the 7th time in his career. The 6-foot-11 stretch-four is putting up nightly averages of 19.4 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. Despite the dip in production, this has been enough to help keep San Antonio in the hunt for the playoffs.
San Antonio will likely need to hit the reset button at some point in the future, and perhaps the 34-year-old will become a viable trade piece for them next season as they may want to maximize his value. But as of now, by keeping the team intact, the Spurs will look to make another run at it and keep their 22-year playoff streak alive.
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