SB Nation: Kevin Durant respects LaMarcus Aldridge’s decision to leave Blazers

The past nine years have been a blessing, and I will take all of the valuable memories with me as I head back home. “I’m excited to join the team and be close to my family and friends”, wrote the Texan free agent, who grew up in Dallas.

The Spurs could not comment because of the league’s offseason moratorium.

With Aldridge gone, the Blazers need to find a replacement for him and they might not need to look very far to find perhaps a flawless fit.

The West, meanwhile, should be a bloodbath, with defending champion Golden State and Oklahoma City, which loaded up on talent previous year even as Kevin Durant was injured, both expected to be monstrous.

Duncan, 38, will probably be entering his final season of his 19-year partnership with the Spurs.

Free agent Aldridge will play four years for the San Antonio Spurs for 80 million dollars.

He turned down overtures from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. The Dallas Mavericks tried to sell him on coming home.

Then they traded big man Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks to help clear some of the necessary salary cap room to land Aldridge, and it all paid off on Saturday.

It was the Spurs’ second meeting with Aldridge.

LaMarcus Aldridge no longer is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. But Anthony still stayed in New York. In the postseason series against Los Angeles, Ginobili connected on just 34.9 percent of his shots, the worst playoff field goal percentage of his career. A person with knowledge of the details said Tobias Harris agreed to sign a new contract to remain with the Orlando Magic.

Rondo is trying to recover from a brief but tumultuous tenure in Dallas. The Spurs are 4-1 to win the National Basteball Association title, behind only Cleveland (9-4).

LaMarcus Aldridge, playing against Arron Afflalo and the Nuggets in December 2014, announced Saturday via Twitter that he will sign with the San Antonio Spurs.

Brewer’s three-year deal was worth $24 million and Beverley’s was four years and $25 million, according to multiple reports.

Jordan averaged career highs last season with the Clippers, scoring 11.5 points and grabbing 15 rebounds per game.

–Swingman Corey Brewer and point guard Patrick Beverley made a decision to stick with the Houston Rockets, reaching contract agreements with the team.

Brewer provided a boost when he was acquired during the season in a trade from Minnesota. The 27-year-old Lopez leaves the Trail Blazers.

P Derrick Williams is headed to New York looking for another chance to fulfill the promise he once showed. With the Lakers choosing point guard D’Angelo Russell with the second pick of the 2015 National Basteball Association Draft over Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, the Lakers were left without a definitive post presence.

The 29-year-old Aldridge averaged a career 23.4 points 10.2 rebounds per game last season, while making the All-Star team for a fourth consecutive year.

Hibbert will be in the last season of his contract and eligible for free agency in a year. They might also include cash in the deal for Hibbert, 28, whose role with Indiana was being reduced.