Mavericks Rumors: LaMarcus Aldridge to Work Out for DAL; Spent Last Season With Nets

LaMarcus Aldridge was out of the Brooklyn Nets' rotation by the end of the 2021-22 campaign, but he may return to the NBA with two months remaining in the 2022-23 season.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Aldridge will work out for the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

There was a time when Aldridge was one of the best frontcourt players in the league. The No. 2 pick in the 2006 NBA draft was a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection who played for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Nets and averaged more than 21.0 points per game in seven seasons and at least 8.0 rebounds in nine campaigns.

He was a double-double threat every time he stepped on the floor during his prime and was seemingly automatic from mid-range while still maintaining the ability to score from the blocks and as part of pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops.

While the University of Texas product was never a great three-point shooter, he had extended his offensive arsenal by the end of his tenure with the Spurs.

Aldridge's potential return would hold off what will be his second retirement.

He retired in April 2021 because of issues stemming from an irregular heartbeat. As a rookie, he had been diagnosed with a rapid heartbeat caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Aldridge also missed two games in 2017 with an arrhythmia.

Less than five months after he walked away, he signed a one-year deal with the Nets.

"I retired in April based on what I believed was the wisest precautionary decision for my personal health at the time, but further testing and evaluation by several top physicians has convinced the doctors, myself and the Nets that I'm fully cleared and able to return to the rigors of the NBA," he said in a statement at the time, per Wojnarowski.

Aldridge seemed primed to chase the first championship of his career with a star-studded team that featured Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, but the season went anything but as planned for Brooklyn.

Irving missed significant time because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19, Durant suffered an MCL injury, Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and the team was swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Ben Simmons, who came over in the Harden trade, never made an appearance.

Aldridge averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting a career-best 55.0 percent across 47 games, but he didn't play in the postseason and appeared in just five contests after February.

After Aldridge's hip injury, plus the acquisition of Andre Drummond and solid play by Nic Claxton, there wasn't much room for the veteran in the frontcourt rotation by season's end. His lack of athleticism was also a concern, especially on the defensive side.

That Nets now look completely different, of course, with Durant traded to the Phoenix Suns and Irving sent to the Mavericks. It's possible, then, that Aldridge and Irving may be reunited with Dallas.

Aldridge could provide veteran leadership and shooting touch off the bench as he continues to chase that elusive championship.