Source: Aldridge to get $65M extension
Chad Ford
The Portland Trail Blazers have verbally agreed in principle to a contract extension with forward LaMarcus Aldridge, a source close to the process told ESPN.com on Wednesday.The extension is for five years and $65 milliion and will go into effect next season, the source said.
If Aldridge achieves certain hard-to-reach incentives, his contract could ultimately be worth as much as $70 million.
The deal comes after a summer of angst between the Blazers and their two young potential free agents — Aldridge and Brandon Roy. The Blazers, after some verbal sparring, reached an agreement with Roy on a five-year, $80 million dollar max contract. Aldridge was searching for a similar contract from the Blazers but after several months of negotiation settled on a deal worth roughly $15 million less.
General manager Kevin Pritchard drafted both players in 2006 and they have become the centerpieces of the Blazers’ youthful, up-and-coming team.