LaMarcus Aldridge Agrees to 5 Year $70 Million Contract

Wow. First the Blazers fill up the 15th spot and just minutes later we hear from Adrian Wojnarowski that LaMarcus Aldridge has agreed to a 5 year deal worth upwards of $70 million. This is the news we like to hear after a couple of awful weeks of preseason basketball!

The intial tweet:

@YahooSportsNBA: Aldridge has agreed to a 5 yr extension worth approximately $70 million with Portland, a league source tells Y! Sports.

And then the A-Woj article:

The Portland Trail Blazers have reached agreement with forward LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) on a five-year extension worth more than $65 million, NBA sources said.

The deal assures Aldridge between $65-68 million with incentives that could push the total value closer to $70 million.

Brian T. Smith says it's not finalized yet:

However, a source close to the team stated that, while a deal is in the works, it is not yet finallized.

Aldridge spoke today about contract negotiations following practice, saying he felt strongly that an agreement would be reached before an Oct. 31 deadline. Following that date, Aldridge would automatically become a restricted free agent after the 2009-10 season, if he did not re-sign with the Blazers.

Jason Quick weighs in:

“It’s very close,’’ Aldridge said from Vancouver, B.C., where the Blazers will play Phoenix in a preseason game Thursday. “It should be done soon.’’

The two sides have been nearing a deal since last week, when talks between Pritchard and agent Arn Tellem picked up. By Monday, a source said the two sides had reached an agreement on the years and money, but were working out the “minutiae.”

Chad Ford talks incentives:

If Aldridge achieves certain hard-to-reach incentives, his contract could ultimately be worth as much as $70 million.

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