National Basketball Association

LaMarcus Aldridge would give Brooklyn Nets a historically star-studded roster

Updated Mar. 28, 2021 3:28 p.m. ET

NBA teams annually use the buyout market as a tool to improve their roster for the stretch run to the playoffs and beyond.

The Brooklyn Nets have done that and then some this season.

First, they acquired Blake Griffin after he was bought out by the Detroit Pistons. Now, the Nets are about to add another former All-Star to their already loaded roster – veteran big man LaMarcus Aldridge.

Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star, saw his role diminish in his sixth season with the San Antonio Spurs, and the sides decided to part ways. He had been averaging the lowest PPG (13.7) since his rookie season while shooting a career-low 46.4% from the field and grabbing a career-low 4.5 rebounds.

But now the veteran will have a new home and opportunity to add the one missing piece to his resume: a championship.

The Nets were already among the favorites to win the title (+225 via FOX Bet). And Aldridge would give the Nets one of the most star-studded rosters the league has ever seen.

Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Griffin and Aldridge have each been named to at least six All-Star Games, and all five could share the court together at some point once Durant returns from injury.

That type of star power has only been matched by a handful of other teams in NBA history.

The 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers tied the Nets with five players who had multiple All-Stars appearances, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. They were complemented by Gary Payton, Karl Malone, and Horace Grant. They didn't win the title, however, falling to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.

Three other teams actually had six players with multiple All-Star appearances.

The 2010-11 Boston Celtics and the 2013-14 Brooklyn Nets were two of them. Coincidentally, both teams featured Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and both fell in the Eastern Conference finals to a Miami Heat team led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Most recently, the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors boasted six multiple-time All-Stars, with four of them being in their prime – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Durant. They would win the title, going on a dominant 16-1 postseason run.

Two other teams featured more than six multiple-time All-Stars.

The 1982-1983 Lakers had seven of them on their roster – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, Bob McAdoo, Steve Mix and Norm Nixon. They lost in the Finals to a Philadelphia 76ers squad led by Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney and Maurice Cheeks.

The 1985-86 Celtics also had seven multiple-time All-Stars, a strong and deep roster that would beat the Houston Rockets for the crown. Those Celtics were led by Bill Walton, Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson and Scott Wedman.

Whether they end their season as champions or come up short remains to be seen, but the Nets will be the most fascinating team to watch heading into the playoffs.

Get your popcorn ready.