Leading up to Dec. 15, the Los Angeles Lakers were heavily linked to Trevor Ariza, who played for them from the 2007-09 NBA seasons and won one championship.
As the Lakers are 17-11 and just two games back of the first spot in the Western Conference, they are expected to be aggressive leading up to the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
While Ariza reportedly wanted to play for his hometown team again, Suns owner Robert Sarver was ‘adamant’ about not trading him to the Lakers.
As there was confusion between which Brooks the Suns would receive in the original three-team trade, they have eventually traded Ariza to the Wizards, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Sources: Phoenix is trading Trevor Ariza to Washington for Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 15, 2018
For the Wizards who are 11-18 and 2.5 games back of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, they desperately needed to make a change. As for the Suns, they were able to get a point guard and a young prospect for a 33-year-old who signed a one-year, $15 million deal.
While Ariza would have been a good fit and solidified the backup four position for head coach Luke Walton, the Lakers have been linked to Wayne Ellington and Terrence Ross. Not only are they strong three-point shooters, but they also have one year remaining on their deals.