Last Updated on April 3, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
LaMarcus Aldridge’s contract history is a strong fit for this template because it covers three distinct phases: his Portland rookie-scale years and long rookie extension, his major San Antonio free-agent move and later Spurs extension, and then the unusual Brooklyn ending that included a Spurs buyout, a brief health-related retirement, a comeback, and a second retirement. Spotrac credits Aldridge with $213,385,919 in total NBA career earnings across the Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Nets. (spotrac.com)
What makes LaMarcus Aldridge contract history especially useful as a standalone post is that it shows both star-level earning power and late-career contract volatility. He started with a standard rookie structure, signed a big Portland extension before reaching free agency, left for San Antonio on a max-level deal in 2015, then reshaped his final earnings through the 2017 extension, the 2021 Spurs buyout, and two short Nets agreements around his health scare and return. (spotrac.com)
LaMarcus Aldridge Contract Agreements (As Signed)
This table tracks each contract event as Aldridge and his teams agreed to it at the time: draft-rights acquisition, rookie deal, option decisions, extension, free-agent signing, Spurs extension, buyout, Brooklyn contracts, and retirement endpoints. The sequence and terms below are compiled from Spotrac’s transaction log and contract pages, plus contemporaneous ESPN, AP, and NBA coverage where the commonly reported terms differ from cap-database rollups. (spotrac.com)
| Date | Age | Team | Contract Move | Reported Terms | Seasons Affected | Clauses / Options | Detailed Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 28, 2006 | 20 | Portland Trail Blazers | Draft rights acquired on draft night | Chicago drafted Aldridge No. 2 overall, then Portland acquired his rights in the Tyrus Thomas / Viktor Khryapa deal | 2006 draft rights | Draft-night rights trade | This is the starting point of LaMarcus Aldridge’s NBA contract history, because Portland got his rights immediately after he was selected second overall. |
| July 4, 2006 | 20 | Portland Trail Blazers | Signed rookie-scale contract | 2 years, $8.36 million at signing | 2006-07 to 2007-08 | Third- and fourth-year team options outstanding | Spotrac logs the full rookie-scale structure at 4 years, $18,832,907 once Portland’s option years are included, but the initial signing itself only guaranteed the first two seasons. |
| October 29, 2007 | 22 | Portland Trail Blazers | Team option exercised | 2008-09 option worth $4,631,400 | 2008-09 | Third-year team option picked up | Portland moved early to keep Aldridge on the full rookie-scale track after a strong first season. |
| October 25, 2008 | 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | Team option exercised | 2009-10 option worth $5,844,827 | 2009-10 | Fourth-year team option picked up | This completed the full four-year rookie contract and set Aldridge up for extension eligibility. |
| October 21, 2009 | 24 | Portland Trail Blazers | Rookie extension signed | 5 years, $65 million guaranteed; incentives could push it closer to $68.75 million / nearly $70 million | 2010-11 to 2014-15 | Incentive-based escalators | This was Portland’s long-term commitment to Aldridge before he hit the market. Different sources frame the value differently depending on whether they emphasize the guaranteed figure or the incentive-loaded ceiling. |
| July 9, 2015 | 29 | San Antonio Spurs | Signed with San Antonio as unrestricted free agent | Commonly reported as 4 years, $80 million max; cap sites log it at 4 years, $84,072,030 | 2015-16 to 2018-19 | Opt-out / player-option structure after Year 3 | Aldridge left Portland for San Antonio in the biggest free-agent move of his career, taking his contract history into a second franchise and a second prime. |
| October 16, 2017 | 32 | San Antonio Spurs | Veteran extension signed | Commonly reported as 3 years, $72.3 million; Spotrac logs it as a 2-year, $50 million extension plus exercise of the 2018-19 player option | 2018-19 to 2020-21 | 2018-19 player option exercised; final year initially partial guarantee | This deal is best understood as a lock-in through 2020-21. Reporting focused on the full three-year commitment, while cap sites separate the exercised option year from the newly added extension years. |
| January 1, 2020 | 34 | San Antonio Spurs | Salary guarantee triggered | 2020-21 salary became fully guaranteed | 2020-21 | Guarantee date reached | The final season of Aldridge’s Spurs extension became fully protected before the partnership ended. |
| March 25, 2021 | 35 | San Antonio Spurs | Waived after buyout | Bought out; gave back $7.25 million | 2020-21 | Buyout and waiver | After San Antonio and Aldridge agreed he would not return, the Spurs waived him through a buyout that reduced his remaining 2020-21 earnings. |
| March 28, 2021 | 35 | Brooklyn Nets | Signed rest-of-season contract | 1 year, $878,340 | 2020-21 | Veteran minimum | Aldridge joined Brooklyn on a prorated minimum deal after clearing waivers. |
| April 15, 2021 | 35 | Brooklyn Nets | Retired from professional basketball | Career temporarily paused after five Nets games | End of 2020-21 | Health-related retirement | Aldridge announced his first retirement after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during and after his final game with Brooklyn. |
| April 23, 2021 | 35 | Brooklyn Nets | Waived by Brooklyn | Procedural release after retirement | End of 2020-21 | Waiver | This formally cleared his roster status after the health-related retirement announcement. |
| September 3, 2021 | 36 | Brooklyn Nets | Re-signed with Brooklyn | 1 year, $2,641,691 | 2021-22 | Veteran minimum | After receiving medical clearance, Aldridge returned to the Nets on another minimum contract, creating one of the more unusual late-career contract sequences for a star big man. |
| March 31, 2023 | 37 | Brooklyn Nets | Retired from professional basketball | Career earnings finished at $213,385,919 | End of career | Final retirement | Aldridge’s second retirement closed a 16-season NBA career that included nine years in Portland, six in San Antonio, and two in Brooklyn. |
LaMarcus Aldridge NBA Salaries by Season (Actual Salary Paid)
This table tracks Aldridge’s salary by individual NBA season, so readers can see what he actually earned year by year and how his cumulative career earnings built to $213,385,919. The 2020-21 line combines his reduced Spurs salary after the buyout with his prorated Brooklyn rest-of-season deal. (spotrac.com)
| Season | Age | Salary | Cumulative Career Earnings | Contract Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 21 | $4,027,320 | $4,027,320 | Rookie contract |
| 2007-08 | 22 | $4,329,360 | $8,356,680 | Rookie contract |
| 2008-09 | 23 | $4,631,400 | $12,988,080 | Rookie option year |
| 2009-10 | 24 | $5,844,827 | $18,832,907 | Rookie option year |
| 2010-11 | 25 | $11,244,000 | $30,076,907 | 2009 rookie extension |
| 2011-12 | 26 | $9,957,951 | $40,034,858 | 2009 rookie extension |
| 2012-13 | 27 | $13,500,000 | $53,534,858 | 2009 rookie extension |
| 2013-14 | 28 | $14,878,000 | $68,412,858 | 2009 rookie extension |
| 2014-15 | 29 | $16,256,000 | $84,668,858 | 2009 rookie extension |
| 2015-16 | 30 | $19,689,000 | $104,357,858 | Spurs free-agent max deal |
| 2016-17 | 31 | $20,575,005 | $124,932,863 | Spurs free-agent max deal |
| 2017-18 | 32 | $21,461,010 | $146,393,873 | Spurs free-agent max deal |
| 2018-19 | 33 | $22,347,015 | $168,740,888 | 2017 extension / exercised option |
| 2019-20 | 34 | $24,375,000 | $193,115,888 | 2017 extension |
| 2020-21 | 35 | $17,628,340 | $210,744,228 | Spurs buyout + Nets minimum |
| 2021-22 | 36 | $2,641,691 | $213,385,919 | Nets return contract |
| TOTAL | $213,385,919 | $213,385,919 | Portland, San Antonio, Brooklyn |
Analysis
LaMarcus Aldridge’s contract history reads best in three parts. The first is the Portland development phase, where the Trail Blazers controlled him through the standard rookie-scale structure, exercised both option years, and then locked him into a major 2009 extension before he ever reached unrestricted free agency. That extension carried him through the end of the 2014-15 season and accounted for all $84,668,858 of his Portland earnings. (spotrac.com)
The second phase is his San Antonio prime. Aldridge’s 2015 Spurs move was the biggest contract pivot of his career because it took him from homegrown franchise cornerstone in Portland to imported star on a new contender. The contract is commonly remembered as a four-year, $80 million max agreement, though cap databases place the exact figure at $84,072,030. Then, in 2017, the Spurs and Aldridge avoided a looming free-agency question by extending him again, effectively locking him in through 2020-21 once the player-option year and later guarantee date are accounted for. (ESPN.com)
The final phase is what makes this page different from a routine star-contract archive. Aldridge’s last Spurs year turned into a buyout, he signed a prorated Nets minimum deal, retired because of an irregular heartbeat, returned a few months later on another Brooklyn minimum contract, and then retired for good in March 2023. That sequence means his contract history is not just about how much he made; it also shows how quickly a veteran star’s financial path can shift at the very end of a career. (ESPN.com)
Sources:
Spotrac — LaMarcus Aldridge NBA Contracts & Salaries
ESPN — Aldridge signs 5-year extension
ESPN — LaMarcus Aldridge says he has decided to go with the Spurs
ESPN — Spurs sign LaMarcus Aldridge to extension through 2020-21
ESPN — San Antonio Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge agree he won’t return to team
Brooklyn Nets — Brooklyn Nets Sign LaMarcus Aldridge
AP News — Nets’ Aldridge retires at 35 due to irregular heartbeat
Brooklyn Nets — Brooklyn Nets Re-sign LaMarcus Aldridge
NBA.com — LaMarcus Aldridge retires for 2nd time in career