- LaMarcus Aldridge has signed a one year deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
- Aldridge retired from the NBA in April due to an irregular heartbeat but has been given full medical clearance.
- The Nets are a +260 favorite to win the 2021-2022 NBA Championship.
LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t done with basketball after all. After retiring from the NBA in April due to an irregular heartbeat he’s received full medical clearance to resume his career and signed a one year, $2.6 million USD with the Brooklyn Nets. Aldridge was playing with the Nets at the time of his retirement following long tenures with the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.
Aldridge experienced an irregular heartbeat during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in April which led to his abrupt retirement. He posted a lengthy statement on Twitter:
The primary takeaway from his expansive statement:
“For 15 years I’ve put basketball first. And now, it is time to put my health and family first.”
In the offseason, however, Aldridge underwent further testing and evaluation. It was the results of these secondary opinions that convinced him to make a return to basketball. He provided this statement to ESPN:
“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. I loved my brief time with Brooklyn and am excited to rejoin the team in pursuit of a championship.”
As Aldridge alluded to in his return statement he’s never won an NBA Championship. That could change this season as the Nets are loaded and expected to be a top contender for the title. At BetOnline.ag, Brooklyn has been installed as a +260 betting favorite to win the 2021-2022 NBA Championship ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (+325) and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks (+900). They are a +110 top choice to win the Eastern Conference ahead of the Bucks (+425), the Philadelphia 76ers (+850) and the Miami Heat (+1200). The Nets are also a -225 chalk to win the Atlantic Division ahead of the 76ers (+350), Boston Celtics (+750), New York Knicks (+1400) and Toronto Raptors (+3300).
The Nets’ O/U win total is set at 55.5 which would be the franchise’s highest win total since joining the NBA before the 1977-1978 season. The Nets have won 50 games in the NBA Only once–in 2001-2002 the New Jersey Nets went 52-30 and reached the NBA Finals where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. They would return to the finals the next season, losing to the San Antonio Spurs 4-2. Dating back to the team’s ABA years as the New York Nets they exceeded the 55.5 win total once–in 1974-75 they went 58-26 but were upset in the first round of the ABA playoffs by the St. Louis Spirits. The ABA Nets also hit the 55 win mark twice in 1973-74 and 1975-76. The Nets are coming off a 48-24 record in 2020-2021 but the schedule last year was reduced to 72 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brooklyn is an overwhelming favorite to make the playoffs priced at -10000. Should they fail to reach the postseason, contrarian bettors will enjoy a payback of +2500. The 2021-2022 NBA season will begin on Tuesday, October 19 as the Nets travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks and the Golden State Warriors hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
