The Lakers have made four key young players unavailable in their pursuit of wing Trevor Ariza, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The team will not include Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Josh Hart in a potential trade, according to Turner. The Suns turned down a three-team proposal, Turner adds.
The Lakers’ keen interest in working out a deal with the Suns for Ariza, an unrestricted free agent after the season, surfaced in an ESPN report over the weekend. That report indicated Phoenix was seeking playmaking guard, presumably either Ball or Hart, and a draft asset.
Los Angeles has plenty of competition for Ariza as at least eight teams have reached out to Phoenix. Ariza can’t be traded until Saturday, when restrictions on trading players who signed free agent contracts this summer are lifted. Ariza inked a one-year, $15MM contract with the Suns after being a key member of the Rockets last season.
He is averaging 9.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 3.3 APG in 33.9 MPG this season for the floundering Suns.
Acquiring Ariza would not only help the Lakers in the short run, his expiring contract would also give them more flexibility in the summer when they pursue top-tier free agents.
Sources confirmed to Turner that the Rockets called about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s availability two weeks ago but no trade is imminent. A report from The Athletic on Wednesday revealed the Rockets were trying to put together a multi-team trade to acquire the Lakers’ shooting guard, who has veto power over any deal.
Who the sun’s think they are wanting one of are 4 best young guys for a older ariza. Ariza great and all but he not worth giving up a young player.
There is a reason the suns have always been irrelevant. Ariza isn’t worth a draft pick, let alone a good young player and a draft pick. Absurd.
I loved Ariza as a Laker, but this isn’t a guy you want to get rid of any of the young core to acquire. Bigger names are gonna become available. Only in the right deal do you compromise the young core.
Who cares what the Suns are asking for, if you have possibly 8 teams trying to acquire him of course you are going to set the bar high
It’s smart though to set your sights high, especially if you’re willing to take bad salary back. If the take on money from a team trying to position themselves for max free agents, then they just might get back more than we’d expect. Where the issue lies here, is that the Lakers have no money tied up long term outside of Lebron and Lonzo.
Thats cuz they arent as “win now desperate” as the fans and writers alike want to believe.
Quit thinking Bron had the chip on his shoulder like that prick Jordan. Hes content now.
And before i get labeled, my GOATs are Reggie Miller and KG.
KG. lolllllllll
Reggie Miller. LMAOOOOOOOOO
Reggie Miller was a closer. He got it done. And so is Kevin Garnett.
You don’t remember cuz you might not be old enough but kg was the man in the 90s.
I don’t agree with “the dude” at all and laugh at most of his posts. But he’s right on here. Not sure about the greatest of all time but Reggie Miller and kg were absolute studs.
Both relied on the officials overlooking their tricks.
Lol, yup !!
That prick got the hardware. He the GOAT.
I’d include Hart if it was something more than just Ariza coming back, but otherwise kick rocks.
The Lakers called the Suns, not the other way around, and insulted them with a joke of an offer (if it was really KCP alone). Suns got 8 calls (rumor has it) on Ariza, a guy they would historically do better trading in Jan or Feb when the best bids will come in. Nothing the Suns could have countered with would make them the more delusional party in this exchange.
Anyway, if what the Suns countered with was so unreasonable, then explain why the Lakers were trying to get a “third team” to give it to them?
How did this even need to be said? Was Phoenix really asking for one of their young guys
If the GM is doing his job he would have
Yup.
3 Team trade:
Suns get:
Tim Hardaway and Frank Nilakina
Lakers get:
Ariza
Knicks get:
KCP and out from under Hardaways contract
Not sure the numbers work. Plus, Knicks (smartly) aren’t trading FN and (stupidly) don’t want out from under THJ’s contract.
But if they did that deal, they would just take Ariza as a trade piece (no use for KCP).
Not to mention, KCP can veto that deal – he doesn’t want to go to NY and stink, he wants to win a chip
The Lakers have not traded any of their four YoCoMoFo and Ariza is not important enough to break that policy for. Silliness. Lakers have wings.