Philadelphia 76ers: Don’t let LaMarcus Aldridge sign with Miami

After entering the 2021 NBA trade deadline with varying degrees of need at the point, on the wings, and in the paint, some fans felt understandably underwhelmed by the Philadelphia 76ers‘ trade deadline haul.

Granted, that isn’t necessarily a knock against George Hill, who has a chance to be very good if he can recapture his 2019-20 form now that he’s back on a contender (more on that here), or the mystery man of the entire outing, Ignas Brazdeikis, but after being linked to most of the bigger names available on the open market, cashing out on a pair of centers, two second-round picks, and a seldom-used wing for a pair of players who have played a combined 18 games in 2020-21 wasn’t the sort of landscape-leveling move many initially expected.

But hey, if you happen to be one of those fans who wanted to see Philly pull off a massive move like the Tobias Harris trade a few springs back, fear not, as there’s still very much a chance the Philadelphia 76ers could finish out the month with yet another new addition by filling their currently-vacant 15th roster spot with a player off the buyout market, maybe even two like in 2018-19.

Considering the deadline wasn’t as active as in years past, there’s a decent enough chance that some of the players who failed to hear their name called moments before Rachel Nichols twisted the virtual trade crank could still find new homes. Some of those players even fit a position of need and could immediately help to fill the Philadelphia 76ers’ remaining needs as they attempt to re-tool on the fly without disrupting their impeccable on-court chemistry.

No pressure, right?

A LeMarcus Aldridge-Danny Green reunion with the Philadelphia 76ers?

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The Philadelphia 76ers have traded for two guards from the Oklahoma City Thunder this season: Danny Green and George Hill.

Both players were acquired by the Thunder in the fall of 2020, had played for playoff teams in the NBA Bubble, and, most improbably of all, were included in trades that both featured Vincient Porier and Terrence Furgeson.

But those three coincidences, four if you count now being members of the Sixers, aren’t the only things tying Green and Hill together. Not even close.

No, before Green was earning championship rings with the Raptors and Lakers and Hill began his post-Pacers tour around the league, the duo were teammates on the San Antonio Spurs in 2010-11.

That’s right, for eight regular season games, plus four more if you factor in the postseason, Green and Hill were teammates who shared minutes playing alongside future Hall of Famers like Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan.

Did those 12 games a decade ago forge a lasting bond between Green and Hill? Honestly, probably not, but there’s another player on the market who has far more of a history with Green and is actively looking to talk to teams before signing for the remainder of the season: LaMarcus Aldridge.

That’s right, from 2015-18, Alridge and Green played alongside each other in Gregg Popovich’s starting lineup, recording 4,807 total minutes on the court together according to the NBA’s advanced analytics – the most utilized two-man lineup the Spurs used over that three-game tenure.

Could that simply be a coincidence? Did Pop simply pair the duo up because it’s always nice to have a 3-and-D wing to catch outlet passes from a paint performer, or did the duo have a legitimate relationship both on and off the court? Well, considering there are videos like this easily findable on YouTube and Green has spoken kindly about his former teammate whenever asked, it would appear their relationship is a good one.

In theory, getting the Danny Green seal of approval should be enough to get any GM worth their salt at least interested in a potential signing, as the “Green Ranger” is among the most popular players both on and off the court in the NBA, but that doesn’t really matter if the candidate in question isn’t a good fit on the court.

Fortunately, Aldridge fits that bill too.

Now sure, some will be taken aback at the idea of calling Aldridge a player worthy of a spot in a playoff rotation, as he’s been steadily declining from his All-Star form over the past two seasons, but that’s more of an issue with perception than the 35-year-old’s actual on-court production. If you look at Aldridge as an eighth-man coming off the bench, one seldom asked to put a team on his back to shoulder a massive role, Aldridge could surely put in production on par or better than Mike Scott or Dwight Howard (offensively).

While he may no longer be a 21.2 points per game scorer like he was from 2011-19, Aldridge still put up an average of 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds a game in roughly 25.9 minutes of action a night, which would rank fifth, sixth, and sixth respectfully.

Not world-shattering, but hey, as a seventh-ninth man, those are really good numbers.

Aldridge is also a deceptively good outside shooter, a fact about his game that some may not realize considering his reputation for taking more mid-range shots than most players in the league today. Since adding the shot to his repertoire in 2019, Aldridge has made 37.9 percent of his 3.1 3 point attempts a game, which, again, isn’t amazing but isn’t bad either.

Considering the Sixers haven’t gotten darn near any 3 point shooting out of any of their centers not named Joel Embiid – though “BBall” Paul Reed may soon change that – landing a four/five big man who can knock down even one 3 pointer a game could help to keep the offense potent when Embiid is off the court and allow Doc Rivers to finally start to rely on lineups featuring Simmons plus four shooters – a look he’s attempted to utilize so far this season but hasn’t been particularly effective considering personnel restrictions.

And hey, for all of the hate Aldridge gets for being a one-way player, he’s actually maintained a positive defensive +/- over each of his last three seasons, which is an impressive feat considering the post-Kawhi Leonard Spurs weren’t particularly good and thus gave up a lot of points on average.

Factor that all in, alongside the Sixers’ mostly unused mid-level exception that would allow them to sign the former second overall pick to a deal worth up to $4.8 million, which is more than the Heat can offer with their $3.6 million bi-annual exception.

Now, objectively speaking, do the Philadelphia 76ers need LaMarcus Aldridge to be successful in 2021? No. While it would be a rather unusual decision not to further bolster the big man group with another body considering the team’s current injury issues, this team will live or die based on Joel Embiid when the playoffs roll around regardless of who that team has backing him up. But do you know who does kinda, sorta does need Aldridge to succeed? The Miami Heat, as they would be unwise to head into the playoffs with only Andre Igoudala, Trebor Ariza, and Nemanja Bejelica under contract. Even if Aldridge is a luxury the Sixers don’t necessarily need, he’s a luxury the team can afford, in addition to being a solid performer who has a pre-existing relationship with Danny Green. Three former Spurs are better than two.