Quick: Neil Olshey, LaMarcus Aldridge Say Franchise Player Won't Be Traded For 2 Years

Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports that Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey and All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge recently met to discuss his future, with the two sides agreeing he would not be traded as part of a rebuilding effort during the next two seasons.

"One thing about Neil, he is about the players," Aldridge said. "I mean K.P. (Kevin Pritchard) was a good GM, and so was Rich Cho -- I don't want to take anything away from those guys -- but I can really tell Neil cares about the players and that he feels they are a priority. That has been nice to deal with."

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According to Aldridge and Olshey, this was the crux of the meeting: Aldridge will not be traded in the next two years, and the team will aggressively pursue an accomplished veteran this summer in free agency.

"What I took from this meeting that made me more confident was that this isn't a total rehaul," Aldridge said. "He said we have young guys this year, but we have cap room next year, and we can bring in another older player, another good player, and that can help us get over the hump next year. He also said they still want this to be my team, for me to lead it, and that we aren't trying to get rid of you or trade you in the next year or two. That's the number one thing I wanted to hear."

Aldridge, 27, has three years left on his current contract, which carries him through the 2014-15 season.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter