Aldridge (illness) has been medically cleared to return to the NBA, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran big man was forced to retire abruptly in April after he announced that he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. However, after undergoing -- and passing -- a series of tests, the 36-year-old has been cleared to return to the NBA. It's unclear if Aldridge ever officially filed for retirement, but after departing the Nets last season, he's currently a free agent. Charania notes that Brooklyn is considered the favorite to re-sign Aldridge, who started all five of his appearances for the team in 2020-21. The Nets did sign Paul Millsap earlier Thursday, but they could still bring Aldridge back as a potential replacement for DeAndre Jordan, who is expected to be bought out at some point.