Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge doesn't want to go anywhere. He's said all season that he's happy with the moves the front office has made -- and, at No. 2 in the Western Conference standings, how could he not be? -- and, in a recent interview with the Portland Tribune's Kerry Eggers, he said that he'd like to have a conversation about extending his contract:
For the first time, Aldridge is thinking he'd like to sit down with Olshey and negotiate a contract extension.
"I would like to re-sign here," he says. "If they want to talk about it, I would talk about it. They haven't yet, but I'm looking forward to the chance to do that."
Up until that story, Aldridge had only been quoted as saying he liked the team and the city and didn't want to talk about the future. This represented a spur of the moment shift when he was asked about it, via Chris Haynes of CSNNW:
"I just decided to say it," Aldridge told CSNNW.com. "I couldn't tell you when I wanted to commit here. All I know is that I want to be here. I didn't have that moment or anything like that, and I don't know when I started to feel like this. But I want to be here."
In the Portland Tribune story, Aldridge also said he's now paying attention to Blazers franchise records and it would be "great" to spend his whole career with one team. If all the talk about Aldridge wanting out of Portland wasn't already dead, it surely should be now.
Aldridge is averaging 23.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists this season, all career highs.
More from SB Nation NBA:
• Sunday Shootaround: No panic moves coming for the Suns
• NBA power rankings: Knicks and Nets are climbing
• The Hook: There's no "right" way to win
• Michael Carter-Williams has 76ers ahead of schedule
• Hoosier Hysteria: How the Pacers won back the heart of Indiana