The Miami Heat are the frontrunner to land power forward LaMarcus Aldridge once he finalizes a contract buyout with the San Antonio Spurs, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Aldridge has been sidelined for about a month as the Spurs sought a resolution. They attempted to trade him ahead of Thursday’s deadline, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, the Heat acquired standout shooting guard Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. They sent power forward Kelly Olynyk and guard Avery Bradley back to Houston as part of the deal — and losing Olynyk leaves a bit of a hole in the frontcourt.
Before the Oladipo trade, the Heat pulled off a deal for Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica.
Per Wojnarowski, Aldridge intends to talk with several teams before making a final decision.
Miami also recently traded center Meyers Leonard to the Oklahoma City Thunder for small forward Trevor Ariza.
