At 29, LaMarcus Aldridge still has a lot of years ahead of him though it may depend on the kind of contract he has in mind – long or short term.

Aldridge will be looking at his options in the coming free agency where it was initially believed that the San Antonio Spurs had the inside track. Now it looks like things have changed.

Word has it that Aldridge could be better off hooking up with the Dallas Mavericks where he could play alongside an aging Dirk Nowitzki. However that could happen but with a short-term deal since the Mavs aren't really known to offer long-term and lucrative contracts.

There have been a lot of players who went that route already like Steve Nash, Chandler Parsons and Lamar Odom to name a few though Aldridge is someone different, a rare big guy who stands to become a Hall of Famer one day.

But can he one day replace Big Dirk? Remember that the reason why the Spurs wanted him was to succeed Tim Duncan. But that would include mentoring and guidance from Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich to be able to help him develop to his max potential. With the Mavs, it remains to be seen if he can get the same from Nowitzki and the other big men there.

So why the Mavs over the Spurs? It could possibly be a short but rewarding contract. At 29, he could possibly enter into another one by the time he is 31 (or 32) where that may eventually be a max contract for him. That doesn't necessarily mean he would stay with the Mavericks since that decision will entirely be up to Mark Cuban.

Spurs again? Well maybe since the Spurs don't seem to mind age as seen by its team composition. And at that age (assuming he does sign a short term deal which could be 2 to 3 years), Aldridge will still be in a formidable position to join a team of his preference, Spurs included.

Could that be his master plan?