Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve Trevor Ariza, as the team is still fond of him and would look to acquire him should he be made available.
To the surprise of many people, there are some Los Angeles Lakers rumors that do not include the New Orleans Pelicans and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers and Pelicans have dominated the headlines recently. Even during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, which the Los Angeles Rams were a part of, the Lakers were the talk of the sports world.
For now, the trade talks for Davis are on hold. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka informed the Pelicans that they would not be increasing their latest offer and pulled out of the Davis trade sweepstakes.
While that may disappoint some fans, this is a blessing in disguise. The latest offer from the Lakers reportedly included every member of the young core in Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac.
In addition, draft picks were included and the Lakers were taking back Solomon Hill to help give New Orleans salary cap relief while limiting their spending power for this upcoming summer.
While the talks with the Pelicans have ended, for now, the Lakers are still working the phones to see if a trade can be made. According to Ramona Shelburne, one person to keep an eye on is Trevor Ariza.
Shelburne reports should the Washington Wizards make Ariza available for trade, the Lakers would still try to acquire him as they remain fond of their former forward.
In non-Anthony Davis news, Lakers continue to have a fondness for Trevor Ariza, should the Wizards make him available at the deadline.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) February 5, 2019
This is not the first time that the Lakers have shown an affinity for Ariza this season. In December, when he first became eligible to be traded, the Lakers looked into acquiring him from the Phoenix Suns.
After buying out Tyson Chandler and seeing him find his way to Los Angeles, the Suns didn’t seem like they wanted to do business with the Lakers.
Ariza was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards after the first three-team trade that also included the Memphis Grizzlies fell apart because there was confusion over which Brooks, MarShon Brooks or Dillon Brooks, was being traded to Phoenix.
In 23 games with the Wizards, Ariza is averaging 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. While his shooting numbers are down, Ariza would be a great addition to the Lakers wing rotation as a 3-and-D guy.
Acquiring a player such as Ariza is the type of trades the Lakers should be focusing on. After the blowout that occurred tonight against the Indiana Pacers, some sort of shakeup is necessary to help get this team back on track.