I can understand if you read today’s report that the Toronto Raptors are making an pitch to unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge and rolled your eyes. The Raptors, in their admittedly brief history as a franchise, have never been a landing spot for marquee free agents. There’s a first time for everything, though, so here’s my case for Aldridge to take his talents across the border.

First and foremost, the Raptors have a very obvious vacancy at power forward. Amir Johnson is an unrestricted free agent, and despite how great he has been for the franchise, is probably not returning. Beyond that, the Raptors have Patrick Patterson, who is best suited to sixth/seventh man type role.

Unlike other teams with openings at power forward, the Raptors offer a realistic chance at contention. Along with their being in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have much in the way of talent or depth on the roster, and what talent they do have (Kobe Bryant and D’Angelo Russell) is all offensive talent like Aldridge. There’s no defense there.

Now, you might assert here that the Raptors’ defense in 2014-15 wasn’t good at all, and you’d be correct. However, GM Masai Ujiri seems committed to fixing this problem. He traded away Greivis Vasquez, one of the worst perimeter defenders in the league by my reckoning, and drafted a defensive specialist in Delon Wright. The offseason is just underway, so more moves to bring in defense-first guys could well be in the pipeline.

On the flip side, the Raptors offer Aldridge more of a chance to improve his legacy as an NBA player than some other teams do. If Aldridge goes to the San Antonio Spurs and wins, he’ll just be the guy that helped Tim Duncan get his sixth NBA title. He probably won’t be the main man for the future either, as Kawhi Leonard is due a max contract.

Much like in Portland, Aldridge would be co-star instead of the star. And if reports are any indication, part of the reason Aldridge is considering leaving Portland is because he felt Damian Lillard was getting a little too much of his shine.

This Raptors team is going nowhere without a hero coming in to save the day, as evidenced by two straight first-round exits. And while Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are beloved in Toronto, neither have star power as strong as Lillard.

In conclusion, the Raptors as a free agency destination offer Aldridge the chance to contend, and to contend as the undisputed franchise player. They’re also home to some of the league’s most passionate fans, and if you want to live in a multicultural metropolis like New York, well, Toronto is the next best thing.

Come up north, LaMarcus!

Casey Sherman is the Toronto Raptors Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @shermham