Portland Trail Blazers News: Aldridge Plans To Surpass Clyde Drexler As Team's 'Greatest' Franchise Player

There has been no loud Portland Trail Blazers news the past weeks, and in spite some people expecting the team to make a surprise pick during the NBA Draft, it never happened. 

Free agency began and no Blazer has opted out of their respective contracts. LaMarcus Aldridge, who is now going in the fifth and final year of his contract, was offered by the Blazers a three-year extension worth $55 million.

The 28-year-old star did not sign the offer, and when speculations began to rise that he plans to play with another team next year, he immediately reassures Portland fans that he will stay in Rip City. 

"I'm happy to stay, happy to be here, happy with the direction the team has gone the last year or two," Aldridge told The Oregonian reporters on Tuesday. "This has no impact on my interest in staying in Portland. I just want to get a five-year deal. I feel like that's the best decision on my part." 

I don't want it to be perceived that I'm not happy or I'm not staying on because I'm not signing a three-year deal," he said when he did not take the extension offer by the Blazers. "It's just financially smarter to wait ... and I'm looking forward to signing the five-year deal when the chance comes." 

Once Aldridge becomes a free agent next season, Portland will offer him another five-year contract, this time worth $108 million. 

For the past years, the Aldridge has been compared to Spurs stalwart Tim Duncan, and some even speculated that the two would be playing soon, for LaMarcus to take the reins from Tim when the latter retires. 

The rumored trade didn't happen, and as Aldridge puts it, he may never go out of Portland for the remainder of his NBA career. Apparently, he has another goal in mind, besides winning an NBA title:

"I want to be the best Blazer -- ever. If I stay the rest of my career, I should be able to catch Clyde [Drexler] by then. I should be able to leave a mark on a big-time franchise that is going to be seen forever. And I will be able to say I played here my whole career. This city has embraced me and grown with me. I have so much history, it just makes sense to stay." 

Not many players in this generation of NBA players will say the same thing.