NBA Trade News: Spurs involved LaMarcus Aldridge in Kyrie Irving trade talks

The San Antonio Spurs and All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge were close to going their separate ways during the offseason, according to a new report. Aldridge and Spurs recently agreed to a three-year contract extension worth US$72.3 million (AU$92 million).

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Aldridge was open to the idea of leaving San Antonio and the Spurs front office nearly pulled the trigger. After disgruntled star Kyrie Irving listed the Spurs as one of his preferred destinations, R. C. Buford & Co. offered Aldridge to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wojnarowski said on Thursday's edition of "The Woj Pod."

“The Spurs did talk about trading LaMarcus last year. He was very open to being traded. They talked about deals around the draft and they talked about deals in the the summer, when they were trying to get Kyrie Irving," the NBA insider said.

Kyrie Irving trade: LaMarcus Aldridge was offered to Cleveland

Aldridge left the Portland Trail Blazers to join San Antonio on a four-year deal worth US$84 million (AU$111 million) in 2015. Since then, several analysts were of the opinion that Aldridge's game didn't mesh with the Spurs' system, and some suggested San Antonio were better off without the power forward. However, Wojnarowski reports that Aldridge had a heart-to-heart conversation with coach Gregg Popovich over the summer, which effectively prolonged their partnership.

During the NBA preseason, Popovich admitted he was partly to blame for Aldridge's patchy production in San Antonio. "He just didn’t feel comfortable -- and it was 98.75% on me. But I tried to change him. I tried to make him a different player. I think that really affected his ability to feel comfortable and confident on the court. And we took care of that, basically by me, letting him know that were going to do it differently and that it was on me, and not on him.”

LaMarcus Aldridge averaged a tally of 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds for the San Antonio Spurs last season. He has averaged a tally of 19.1 points and 8.3 rebounds through his 11-year stint in the NBA. Aldridge left the Portland Trail Blazers in 2015 to join the Spurs on a four-year contract worth US$84 million (AU$111 million). Earlier in the week, Aldridge and Spurs agreed to a a three-year extension worth US$72.3 million (AU$92 million).