Trevor Ariza Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Refused To Include Core Players In Ariza Trade

December 15th, 2018 at 12:01pm CST by marksuleymanov

It took two attempts but the Suns struck a deal to part with veteran swingman Trevor Ariza, dealing him to the Wizards for Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers. However, after a three-team deal cratered on Friday, Suns re-engaged the Lakers in trade talks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

As we relayed earlier today, the Lakers were “eager” to acquire Ariza as he and agent Aaron Mintz tried to a broker a deal that would land him in purple and gold. The Lakers were unwilling to include one of their core players and the Suns moved on to complete a deal with Washington, Wojnarowski added.

Also, Suns owner Robert Sarver was reportedly reluctant to strike a deal with the Lakers after criticism that the buyout of Tyson Chandler created a clear path to Hollywood for the veteran center.

Given Ariza’s age (33) and his expiring deal, it’s understandable why Los Angeles elected to keep their young players for the time being. It’s been reported that the Lakers are unwilling to part with Lonzo Ball in trade talks. It would be fair to state that in addition to Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and other young standouts are off limits for the time being.

Latest On Failed Three-Team Trevor Ariza Trade

December 15th, 2018 at 10:02am CST by marksuleymanov

In what was a whirlwind few hours on Friday night, a three-team deal centered around Suns’ swingman Trevor Ariza fell apart. As it was reported, the deal would have sent Trevor Ariza to the Wizards and Austin Rivers to the Suns, and allowed the Grizzlies to acquire Kelly Oubre for Wayne Selden, two second-round picks, and one other player.

The confusion came over the identity of that other player as the Grizzlies believed they were dealing MarShon Brooks while the Suns thought Dillon Brooks was headed their way. We outlined in a pair of stories how the deal fell apart, particularly with the Grizzlies and Suns using the Wizards as a conduit in lieu of direct communication. The deal was scrapped after all three teams spoke directly and the Brooks-related confusion became apparent.

In his latest report, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added new tidbits of information in regards to the scrapped trade and where Ariza may be headed.

After the original deal fell apart, several other teams began to push Phoenix to enter the fray for Ariza’s services. The Lakers and Rockets were both engaging the Suns for Ariza, Wojnarowski noted. Along with the Wizards, this marks three of Ariza’s former teams being in contention to reacquire him.
The Suns privately insisted they had direct conversations with Grizzlies officials on Dillon — not Marshoon — Brooks and Memphis denied that, per Wojnarowski. The Grizzlies viewpoint is that Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld negotiated the deal and that a miscommunication with interim Suns GM James Jones led to the gaffe.
All the parts in the three-team swap were finalized until the Grizzlies and Suns saw conflicting reports on which Brooks was included in the deal. That led to a direct conversation in which the Suns informed Memphis that a deal would not happen unless it included Dillon Brooks.
Ariza and his agent are hopeful that he finds his way back to the Lakers. However, that seems unlikely at this point as Suns owner Robert Sarver is wary of dealing him to the Lakers after criticism that Tyson Chandler‘s buyout created an easy path to Los Angeles. For what it’s worth, Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers were eager to acquire Ariza.

Wizards, Suns Still Discussing Trevor Ariza

December 15th, 2018 at 12:42am CST by Luke Adams

12:42am: The Wizards and Suns are still talking to try to determine whether they can figure out a new deal involving Ariza, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

12:28am: The Suns will have veteran forward Trevor Ariza away from the team for Saturday’s game against Minnesota as they look to resolve his situation, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). As we’ve detailed at length tonight, the Wizards appeared to be on the verge of acquiring Ariza before the deal fell apart.

Ariza officially became trade-eligible when the clock struck 12:00 am on December 15, though there’s no rush to move him right away rather than waiting until closer to the February 7 trade deadline. Still, after Friday’s near-deal, perhaps the Suns simply want to move on from the 33-year-old as soon as possible.

For what it’s worth, interim Suns co-GMs James Jones and Trevor Bukstein have displayed a willingness once already this season to move quickly on a roster move, as they bought out Tyson Chandler‘s contract months before the NBA’s usual buyout period.

It’s not clear whether the Suns will try to finalize another variation of today’s failed Ariza trade with the Wizards or if they’ll look to work something out with a new suitor for the forward. An earlier report indicated that Suns owner Robert Sarver is opposed to sending Ariza to the Lakers, who are said to be interested. Jabari Young of The Athletic tweets that the Spurs are also believed to have interest in Ariza, though Sarver may not be enthusiastic about working with San Antonio on a deal either.

Meanwhile, even though Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace issued a statement tonight adamantly denying that his team discussed Dillon Brooks or spoke to the Suns during the negotiating process of the three-team Ariza deal, various reports continue to suggest otherwise.

Charania tweets that the Suns and Grizzlies had a “handful of discussions” involving Dillon Brooks, while Candace Buckner of The Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that those Brooks conversations happened for over a week. The Wizards and Suns were both clear that Dillon Brooks, not MarShon Brooks, was the player that would be involved in the deal, according to both Buckner and Charania. A league source suggests to Buckner that “Memphis maybe got cold feet” (Twitter link).

While Buckner echoes an earlier report that indicated the Suns received Dillon Brooks’ medical info from the Grizzlies, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link) hears from a source that Brooks’ medicals were never exchanged with Phoenix.

Recapping Friday’s Drama And Resetting The Ariza Market

December 14th, 2018 at 11:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With the calendar having turned to December 15, Suns forward Trevor Ariza is now officially eligible to be traded. However, it appears the veteran forward won’t be going to the Wizards in a three-team trade that included the Grizzlies and was seemingly on the verge of completion on Friday night.

As we explained in updates to our story on those Ariza trade talks, a deal sending the Suns forward to D.C. was about to cross the finish line when Memphis and Phoenix realized they weren’t on the same page on one of the players involved in the proposal — the Suns thought they were receiving promising young forward Dillon Brooks from the Grizzlies, while Memphis believed journeyman guard MarShon Brooks was the player involved in the deal. With the Grizzlies unwilling to include Dillon and the Suns unwilling to trade for MarShon, the potential swap fell apart.

How exactly does something like this happen? Well, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Grizzlies and Suns never spoke directly during the negotiations, using the Wizards as a conduit. However, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who is one of the most plugged-in reporters on the Suns’ side, tweets that Phoenix had “multiple conversations” with Memphis over the last 24 hours, and even checked Dillon Brooks‘ medicals.

The Suns never had any discussions about MarShon Brooks with either team, according to Gambadoro, who strongly suggests (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies appear to be the team at fault here.

Conversely, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Grizzlies say they “never” discussed Dillon Brooks with anyone and were always talking about MarShon Brooks, adding that they’re “at a loss” to understand the mix-up. However, Wojnarowski tweets that the Wizards believed in conversations with Memphis that they were talking about Dillon.

As Howard Beck of Bleacher Report observes (via Twitter), in the days before details of potential deals leaked immediately to Twitter, this is the sort of mix-up that would have killed a trade well before word broke publicly. Given how today’s media landscape works though, we learned about the failed deal in real time, rather than seeing it reported as a humorous “what-if” anecdote months or years later.

The ramifications of today’s drama shouldn’t be overlooked — Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers will presumably remain Wizards, knowing that their team had reached an agreement to trade them. It’ll be interesting to see if that has an impact on them going forward, or if Washington is motivated to work out a new deal to move them to avoid locker-room discomfort.

In Memphis, MarShon Brooks and Wayne Selden are in the same boat. According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (via Twitter), both players were told when leaving the floor tonight that they were being traded, but they’ll report back to the Grizzlies tomorrow.

Meanwhile, before the Brooks-related drama reached its climax -when it still appeared the deal would get done – an interesting detail was reported about Ariza. A source told David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Suns owner Robert Sarver was adamantly opposed to sending the 33-year-old to the Lakers, prompting Phoenix’s front office to pivot to other options. Will Sarver stick to that stance now that today’s deal fell through? Can we essentially rule the Lakers out of the Ariza sweepstakes going forward?

Today’s failed deal also provides a hint of what sort of return the Suns are looking for in exchange for Ariza. Gambadoro tweets that the deal was all about Dillon Brooks for Phoenix, rather than Rivers or Selden. So despite their depth on the wing and their need for a point guard, the Suns appear willing to move Ariza for a promising young player at any position — not just one who fills a position of need.

The Wizards and Suns could still try to find a third team to make an Ariza deal work, with potential trade partners knowing now that Oubre could be had. Of course, reports earlier this week suggested that at least eight teams had expressed some interest in Ariza, and now that we have a sense of what it might take to get him, perhaps some new opportunities will open up for the Suns.

It’s not even out of the realm of possibility that these three teams revisit the framework of today’s deal in an effort to find a compromise, according to Aldridge, who notes (via Twitter) that one source said Sarver and Grizzlies owner Robert Pera talked to each other and discussed Dillon Brooks. In a follow-up tweet, Aldridge notes that Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace strongly denies that Sarver and Pera spoke about this proposed trade.

Whatever happens next, tonight’s Ariza/Brooks drama is just the latest reminder of why the NBA’s rumor mill is so much fun.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Three-Team Trevor Ariza Trade Falls Apart

December 14th, 2018 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

10:09pm: The deal is now considered dead, according to reports from Wojnarowski and Tom Habestroh of NBC Sports (Twitter links).

The Grizzlies and Suns didn’t communicate directly during the three-team negotiations, using the Wizards as a conduit, which led to the Brooks-related confusion, sources tell Wojnarowski and Lowe (Twitter link). Memphis pulled out after the three clubs all talked directly, according to Woj, who tweets that the Suns and Wizards would have to find a new third team to complete an Ariza trade.

9:55pm: The trade is now in jeopardy due to confusion over which Brooks the Suns they believed they were getting in the deal, according to Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link). Sources tell Woj that the Grizzlies won’t put Dillon Brooks in the deal.

9:40pm: There’s some confusion over which Brooks is going from the Grizzlies to the Suns in this proposed deal.

As detailed below, Wojnarowski and Gambadoro first reported that it was Dillon Brooks, but Woj issued a clarification to say it was MarShon Brooks. Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter links) has also cited sources who say it’s MarShon. However, Gambadoro has insisted multiple times (via Twitter) that it’s Dillon and says the MarShon reports are inaccurate.

We’ll have an update as soon as there’s confirmation one way or the other.

8:57pm: The Wizards are in advanced talks to acquire veteran forward Trevor Ariza from the Suns, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, Washington is making an effort to finalize a multi-team trade agreement involving Ariza tonight. He’ll become officially trade-eligible on Saturday.

Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies will be the third team involved in the deal. In the proposed trade, which is moving toward completion, Kelly Oubre would head to the Grizzlies and the Suns would receive Austin Rivers and two Memphis role players, according to Wojnarowski. Woj adds (via Twitter) that the Wizards would also receive a conditional 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 second-rounder from the Grizzlies.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 follows up on Wojnarowski’s report with more details, tweeting that Wayne Selden would head to Phoenix as part of the deal. While Gambadoro and Wojnarowski both originally had Dillon Brooks as part of the package, Woj clarifies (via Twitter) that it’s actually MarShon Brooks, not Dillon, who would be sent to the Suns.

Ariza signed a one-year, $15MM deal with the Suns during the 2018 offseason after a productive four-year run in Houston. Before joining the Rockets, he spent two seasons with the Wizards, including perhaps his best season as a pro in 2013/14, when he averaged 14.4 PPG and 6.2 RPG with a .456/.407/.772 shooting line.

Ariza’s numbers so far this season have been somewhat modest — 9.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and .379/.360/.837 shooting. Still, the three-and-D wing would be a seamless fit into virtually any playoff contender’s lineup, and would provide the Wizards with a reliable defender in the frontcourt – at the expense of some backcourt depth – as they look to get back into the playoff picture in the East. His expiring contract wouldn’t create any added cap flexibility for the Wizards next summer, since Rivers ($12.65MM) and Oubre ($3.21MM) are also in the final year of their respective deals.

The deal figures to reduce the likelihood of an Otto Porter trade, since Oubre was viewed as a potential insurance policy for Porter. The Wizards probably couldn’t have realistically paid big bucks to Oubre as a restricted free agent in 2019 if the maximum-salary contracts for John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Porter all remained on their books. It seems they’ll no longer have to worry about re-signing Oubre.

Oubre instead would be on track to reach restricted free agency next summer for the Grizzlies, who are poised to add the promising 23-year-old small forward to their lineup as a result of this move. Oubre has showed steady improvement over his four NBA seasons, and is posting career-highs in several categories in 2018/19, including PPG (13.0) and FG% (.433).

As for the Suns, their NBA-worst 5-24 start reduced their need for a veteran contributor like Ariza, which made him a popular trade target. Reports earlier in the week suggested that at least eight teams had expressed some interest in the 33-year-old, with the Lakers among them. However, a source tells David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link) that owner Robert Sarver was adamantly opposed to sending Ariza to the Lakers, prompting the Suns to pivot to other options.

Phoenix had reportedly been seeking a play-making guard in return for Ariza, and would receive a couple of players in this deal who could fit that bill. While Rivers and Brooks aren’t traditional point guards, they’re both capable of assuming some ball-handling duties for the Suns. Selden, meanwhile, is a swingman who figures to slot in at the two or three in Phoenix.

The Suns currently have 14 players on their roster, so they’d need to waive someone to complete the deal. Eric Moreland, who signed a non-guaranteed contract earlier this week, appears likely to be the odd man out.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Won’t Give Up Top Young Players For Ariza

December 12th, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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.

Rockets Emerging As Suitor For Caldwell-Pope

December 12th, 2018 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are emerging as a potential suitor for Lakers wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. While no deal is imminent and Houston isn’t the only club interested in Caldwell-Pope, the Rockets appear to be targeting the 25-year-old in multi-team trade scenarios, according to Charania.

On Sunday, we heard that the Lakers and Suns had discussed trade scenarios in which Trevor Ariza would land in Los Angeles and the Lakers would trade away Caldwell-Pope. However, KCP has the power to veto any trade and almost certainly wouldn’t want to end up with the NBA-worst Suns, who in turn wouldn’t have much use for another wing. As such, the Lakers and Suns are said to be on the lookout for a third team to help facilitate a possible deal.

The Rockets make some sense as that third team, given their need for another three-and-D player. Houston would also be a much more favorable landing spot than Phoenix for Caldwell-Pope if he hopes to play a regular role for a contending team this season.

However, the Rockets’ best salary-matching piece in the range of Ariza ($15MM) and Caldwell-Pope ($12MM) is Brandon Knight ($14.63MM), and Houston can’t send him back to Phoenix during the 2018/19 league year, since the Suns traded him away in August. As such, the Rockets, Lakers, and Suns would likely need to search for a fourth team to acquire Knight and draft picks, sources tell Charania.

Ariza and Caldwell-Pope will become trade-eligible on Saturday, so it’s possible that these talks will get more serious at that point.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Green, Ariza, Fultz

December 11th, 2018 at 10:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Everything appears to be back to normal with the Warriors after last month’s altercation between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. Green returned from a sprained right toe last night, giving the team a healthy lineup for the first time in weeks, not counting free agent addition DeMarcus Cousins, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury. The Warriors have climbed back near the top spot in the West with a 19-9 record and looked poised to re-establish themselves as the league’s best team.

More importantly, any fears that disharmony might tear the team apart seem to have passed. Warriors officials gave Durant “plenty of space” after the Nov. 12 incident and the situation appears to have been resolved.

“People I lean on told me to stay centerfield with my thoughts and my feelings,” Durant said. “I received so many people reaching out; my former coaches saying to stay centered, stay measured, stay pushing forward and keeping my foot on the gas. At that time, we were losing games, and people were banged up, so it’s easy to go the other way when you’re searching for answers. It was about staying positive and going to work.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Green, who missed nearly a month of action, was often frustrated as the Warriors‘ medical staff opted to be cautious with his injury, but he tells Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that it was the right decision. “Overall, it was good for me not to rush it,” Green said. “I was starting to question the plan, but I tried it my way the first time and came back premature. I forced myself to trust their expertise because the main goal was getting me back healthy.”
The Lakers are trying to work out a three-team trade to acquire Trevor Ariza from the Suns, and Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype believes he would be a valuable addition in L.A. In addition to his defense and 3-point shooting, Ariza is one of the league’s best players at finishing in transition. He averaged 1.31 points per possession in transition with the Rockets last season, placing him ninth among players with at least 100 transition possessions.
There has been speculation that the Suns might be willing to take a chance on Markelle Fultz, but John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 doesn’t expect it to happen (Twitter link). He states that Phoenix has no interest in taking on “any issues” that the second-year Sixers guard has.

At Least Eight Teams Have Inquired On Ariza

December 10th, 2018 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns forward Trevor Ariza won’t officially become eligible to be traded until Saturday, but plenty of potential suitors are checking in now to inquire on his availability. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Phoenix has heard from “no less than eight teams” with interest in Ariza.

A report on Sunday indicated that the Lakers were looking to acquire Ariza – who is on a one-year, $15MM contract – and Gambadoro confirms that Los Angeles is indeed one of those clubs that has inquired. However, nothing is close at this point, per Gambadoro, who notes that the Suns aren’t interested in a package of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a bench player.

Of course, Sunday’s report on L.A.’s interest in Ariza indicated that the Lakers and Suns would have to find a third team to facilitate a deal anyway, since KCP likely wouldn’t have any more interest in joining the last-place Suns than they’d have in acquiring him. Caldwell-Pope has the ability to veto any trade he’s involved in, so he’d require a favorable landing spot if he’s dealt.

Whether they pursue a trade with the Lakers or another team, it seems the Suns will have a number of options with Ariza. Still, Gambadoro cautions (via Twitter) that he doesn’t believe Phoenix is all that interested in adding more projects to its roster — the team wants players that can contribute now.

That’s a somewhat odd stance for a team with an NBA-worst 4-22 record — even if Suns ownership, management, and fans may be tired of perpetually rebuilding, the time seems right to roll the dice on a high-upside “project.” But if Gambadoro’s intel is accurate, that would significantly reduce the odds of a Suns deal involving someone like Markelle Fultz.

Lakers Looking To Acquire Trevor Ariza

December 9th, 2018 at 6:48pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

One of the worst-kept secrets around the league is the Suns‘ desire to trade Trevor Ariza, a valuable 3-and-D wing who can help a lot of potential playoff teams. Well, it appears the Lakers are the team at the front of the line, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Lakers are working hard to acquire Ariza in a potential three-team trade.

According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers and Suns have been working to reach an agreement with a third team that would take on Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as part of a potentially larger deal. It must be pointed out that Caldwell-Pope has veto power on any potential trade, but Wojnarowski also reports that the Lakers have shown a willingness to work with his agent, Rich Paul, if there’s a deal that might increase his role.

Meanwhile, the Suns are reportedly looking to land a playmaking guard and a draft asset as the price of unloading Ariza. Ultimately, Wojnarowski reports that the two teams have made progress on a potential deal, but also that no agreements are close and both teams remain active in multiple trade discussions throughout the league.

This will certainly be something to monitor as it could significantly impact the Western Conference playoff picture. Ariza and Caldwell-Pope both become trade-eligible on December 15.