LaMarcus Aldridge didn't expect to leave the Portland Trail Blazers when he decided to play through a broken thumb and wait until after the season for surgery.

Aldridge said in 2014 that he planned on re-signing with the Blazers.

"You know I think just weighing my options and just going through the process really kind of helped me see what I valued," said Aldridge. "It wasn’t easy leaving. I love Portland and I have so much history there and I knew it like the back of my hand, so the decision to leave was never easy. When I put off [thumb surgery] I definitely didn’t think I was leaving. I wanted to maximize that moment. I didn’t want to waste that. I wanted to be in the moment, I wanted to help finish the season out well and to play in the playoffs. So in that moment I was in the mind-set that I was coming back.

"But I think as I went through the process more I just value being closer to home, I value seeing my kids more. I feel like, of course, Portland didn’t want me to leave, but I feel like at the end of the day it’s good to have a fresh start. You know we had first round [exits] for so many years, and then we finally got to the second round, but I think for both sides it’s actually really good. It’s better to get a fresh start and now they have no battle with who’s the face of the team. Damian [Lillard] is a very high talent so he’s going to be good for years to come. So I think in a way it actually made it easier on them too."

Aldridge was asked if the Blazers could have done anything differently to keep him.

"No, I think they did everything that they could," said Aldridge. "I thought they were trying to see what I wanted, what I needed. They were trying to keep me involved every step of the process. I thought that they definitely made me feel like they wanted me back. They were very interested in having me back, they wanted me to still be the focal point of the offense, so I don’t think there was much they could have done. I think it was just that time, where we had tried and tried and tried and I feel like San Antonio, and being home, it was just a lot of positives. Like I said being home was one of my goals and to be there and to just see my family was key."