LaMarcus Aldridge finished his relationship with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday after they agreed to a buyout and 24 hours later news broke saying he was ready to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. The veteran big man is not the same that he used to be but several teams around the league considered him a very valuable piece for them.
The Miami Heat were one of those teams interested in the player and it seems like they had the upper hand to get this signing but the Nets snatched the player and now created a superteam that looks very scary to the rest of the league. Aldridge left people wondering what went wrong and why he decided to go to New York instead of Florida and Miami’s recent form appears to be the biggest factor for him.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, he liked the Nets better seeing how good they’re playing without Kevin Durant and their favoritism to come out of the East. The Heat, on the other end, is going through a losing streak and that was a dealbreaker for the big man.
“I asked Aldridge associate what changed his mind from original expectation that he would sign with Heat, which was expected by the Heat. He said was convinced to join Brooklyn because they are in good position to compete for a championship. Heat recent losing streak didn’t help.”
I asked Aldridge associate what changed his mind from original expectation that he would sign with Heat, which was expected by the Heat. He said was convinced to join Brooklyn because they are in good position to compete for a championship. Heat recent losing streak didn't help.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) March 27, 2021
The Heat just landed Victor Oladipo at the trade deadline and if they managed to add Aldridge, that team would have looked more dangerous than it looks right now. The 35-year-old had different plans and now is headed to the big apple, where he’ll try to help the overpowered Nets win a championship for the first time ever.
Miami has a Big 3 with Dipo, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo and they can compete with anybody in the East. It would be great if these two teams clash in the ECF this season but only time will tell.
