July 4, 2015 is a day that will always loom large in Spurs history. It was the day the Spurs signed LaMarcus Aldridge, the biggest free agent in franchise history. The Spurs have signed some big names in the past, but those players were nearing retirement. LA was the first ever big-name free agent to sign with the Spurs that had some prime years left. He's also the only big-name free agent to ever sign with the Spurs because they were his #1 choice. I will always appreciate him for it and will never forget it.
Here are the things I'll remember most about LaMarcus Aldridge in his 6 years with the Spurs:
*Choosing the Spurs when he had other offers on the table
*Filling the All-Star big man void after Tim Duncan retired
*Keeping the Spurs afloat during one of the darkest times in recent history
*Carrying the Spurs to the playoffs in 2018 and 2019
*His contributions on back-to-back 60+ win Spurs teams
*His career-high 56-point game against the Thunder (1/10/19)
Signing LaMarcus Aldridge was as big as it can get for the Spurs. He is the best free agent pickup in franchise history, and in my opinion, the timing of his addition doesn't change the value he brought to the team. Even in the massive shadow cast by Tim Duncan, LA delivered on expectations in San Antonio, and the Spurs' failure to win a championship during LA's time with them is not his fault.
I can't help but feel bad for LaMarcus Aldridge not being able to get a championship in San Antonio. What better way to reward your biggest ever free agent catch? The reason I feel bad is because LA was robbed of a couple of opportunities for a ring due to injuries to Tim Duncan (2016) and Kawhi Leonard (2017), and another one when Kawhi sat out and ultimately forced his way off the team. If not for those things, I believe the Spurs would have won at least 1 championship during LA's tenure and his legacy would look a lot different.
Even without a championship, LaMarcus Aldridge still has his place in Spurs history. He was an All-Star in 3 of his first 4 years with the team, and even in the year he didn't make it he still had an All-Star caliber season. He was a major piece on a team that won 67 and 61 games in his first 2 seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals, which the Spurs were up big in Game 1 on the road against an all-time great team until Kawhi got injured.
Besides being an integral part of a championship contender in his first 2 years with the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge's biggest contribution to the team was keeping the Spurs competitive and carrying them on his back through some of the most tumultuous times the franchise has ever faced. He kept the team relevant longer than they probably should have been. Without LA, the Spurs might have become a 20-win team after the Big 3 retired.
In my opinion, LaMarcus Aldridge played his best basketball with the Spurs from 2015-2019, with his peak being 2017-19, when he carried what should have been a lottery team to the playoffs to help them extend their playoff streak to 22 years in a row, which tied an NBA record. It would have been a completely different Spurs era if they didn't have LA. I would even say he's one of the top 10 performers the team has ever had.
Again, you can't help but feel bad for LA because he signed with the Spurs to be an All-Star running mate to Tim Duncan in the frontcourt and give the veteran nucleus a good shot at 1 last championship. Also, with Kawhi Leonard developing into a superstar, he and LA were setting up to be a formidable 1-2 punch that could keep the team in contention. Instead, LA ended up being the man to lead the Spurs through an unusual transition period.
All in all, it's hard to be upset about LA's tenure with the Spurs. Given that the team had legends retire and the team's franchise player forced his way out, LA did the best he could with what he had. He was forced into a role he wasn't supposed to have, and because of that I won't be too hard on him for the Spurs' playoff failures. They had a good thing going, with so many opportunities to make more history, and it was never supposed to end abruptly. Even though things didn't go as planned, I still believe that the LaMarcus Aldridge signing was a great acquisition for the Spurs, and I'm grateful for his contributions.
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